Studies in International Affairs Number 4 - The Changing Status of German Reunification in Western Diplomacy 1955-1966

Oct 13, 2026

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This study examines how the status of German reunification evolved within Western diplomacy from 1955 to 1966, focusing on the tension between containing German power and preserving national expression and security. It traces major East-West diplomatic turning points after West Germany joined NATO, including the Geneva Summit, Soviet détente, the Berlin crisis, and initiatives associated with Kennedy and de Gaulle, as viewed through Bonn’s efforts. The analysis highlights shifting commitments and the move toward a long-run bridge-building approach.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages84

Reading Time3 h 32 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

NATO and the German Reunification Problem

The Allied Settlement with West Germany of 1954

Reunification and East-West Relations in 1955

The Maintenance of the Reunification Commitment, 1955-60

The United States and German Reunification after 1961

Kennedy's Experimentation with Inherited Policies in the Berlin Crisis, 1961-62

Kennedy's Counteroffensive in East-West Relations, 1963

De Gaulle’s "European" Initiative, 1964-66

Remarks on the Present Juncture

NTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS NUMBER 4 # HANGING STATUS OF GERMAN REUNIFICATIONIN WESTERN DIPLOMACY,1955-1966 BY CHARLES R.PLANCK THE WASHINGTON CENTER OF FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES JH-SIA 4 $1.45 studies listed on the inside back cover are theseries of booklet publications on international poIIuIcai and economic affairs.Between four and sixstudies will be published each year.These publicationswill reflect the Center's major continuing interests:theexamination of trends in international politics and theassessment of America's evolving foreign policy.They will analyze and comment on issues of currentinterest to policy makers,the academic community,andinformed persons generally. DISCARDEDaSAD老 GOL L愿 Studies in International Afairs Number 4 # THE CHANGINGSTATUSOF GERMANREUNIFICATIONIN WESTERNDIPLOMACY I955-I966 by Charles R.Planck # OISCARDEDASAB乐 E0LLE LEA Washington Center of Foreign Policy ResearchSchool of Advanced International StudiesThe Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins Press,Baltimore,Maryland Copyright 1967 The Johns Hopkins Press,Baltimore,Maryland 21218Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-22894Printed in the United States of America In Europe every important issue of internationalpolitics is entangled with the historic“German prob-lem."That problem has many facets.Broadly it is:how to contain Germany's energies in a manner thatwill reassure its wary neighbors,yet guarantee na-tional expression and security;how to keep Ger-many's political weight in balance with the rest ofEurope,yet avoid the dangerous frustrations thatmight accompany its diplomatic isolation.The post-war division of Germany did not create this problem,but it has greatly accentuated it. When West Germany joined NATO in I954,theallies undertook a formal commitment to pursueGerman reunifcation in negotiations with the Com-munist bloc.The formula then envisaged involved aclimatic negotiation between East and West.ByI967 the conditions affecting Germany's position inEurope have changed greatly.The commitment toreunification remains,but Germany and its allieshave now adopted a new formula in which reunifica-tion is seen as occurring as the result of a long-runprocess of bridge-building between East and West. Mr.Planck's essay analyzes the essential back-ground of the current developments in the status ofGerman reunifcation.He examines the major junc-tures in East-West diplomacy after Germany joinedNATO—the Geneva Summit Conference,the Sovietcompaign for détente,the Berlin crisis,Kennedy's 683343 March,I967 and de Gaulle's initiatives in Europe—from theperspective of Bonn's efforts to maintain the com-mitment to reunification.Western unity was mostcomplete at the Geneva meeting of I955.Thereafterinterallied disagreement on the role of German unityin a final European settlement increased,while Bonn,because of its extreme dependence on allied support,continued to stress a uniformity of interests in re-unification.Periods of difficult readjustment werefrequent,and the measure of success became notwhether Western interests in German unity wereidentical but whether they could be viewed as com-patible.Increasingly,the Federal Republic has hadto devise a more independent and flexible policy,suited to a looser community of interests.The WestGerman experience mirrors the transitional state ofall Western thought concerning such questions asdisarmament,European security arrangements,andthe future of East-West relations.This essay is partof the Center's continuing effort to interpret themingling of old and new elements in basic inter-national trends. Charles R.Planck is a candidate for the degree ofdoctor of philosophy in international relations atThe Johns Hopkins University School of AdvancedInternational Studies and research assistant in theSchool's Washington Center of Foreign PolicyResearch. ROBERT E.OSGOODDirector Washington C

FAQs

What central issue does the study address about German reunification?

It addresses how Western policy should contain Germany’s energies while reassuring neighbors and safeguarding German national expression and security.

Which major events does the essay use to structure its analysis?

It examines the Geneva Summit Conference, the Soviet campaign for détente, the Berlin crisis, and related initiatives attributed to Kennedy and de Gaulle, from Bonn’s perspective.

How did the Western approach to reunification change by 1967?

The commitment to reunification remained, but it was reframed as the outcome of a long-run process of bridge-building between East and West rather than an immediate negotiation formula.

Oct 13, 2026

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