Juergen Diesel Sought Loophole to Unlock European Borders in 1973
European borders were jeopardized when West German diplomats tried to weaken inviolable frontiers by introducing 'peaceful change' during 1973 negotiations.
By Vera Kessler ·
Helsinki Accords
Walter Scheel blocked East Germany's bid for sovereign peer status
Otto Winzer fought to be seen as a sovereign state rather than a Soviet satellite, seeking a pact to end "querelles allemandes" before both Germanies joined the United Nations.
By Roy Castellano ·
Otto Winzer Battles West German Plan to Liquidate GDR
Diplomatic license plates and the liquidation of the GDR sparked a thirty-minute clash between Otto Winzer and Walter Scheel that ended in a stalemate hidden from the press.
By Vera Kessler ·
Nixon Used 'Controlled Tensions' to Block East German Recognition
East German officials feared the US used 'levers of obstruction' to protect NATO and prevent the GDR from gaining formal international recognition.
By Vera Kessler ·
Siegfried Bock treated human rights as currency for postwar borders
Divided families seeking reunions and legal marriages were treated as currency by East German officials to secure Western acceptance of the socialist status quo.
By Marcus Boone ·