Miscellaneous - This Day That Age

dated June 25, 1959: German problem

Mr. Christian Herter, the Secretary of State, told the American people on June 23 that the Geneva Foreign Ministers’ Conference had revealed possible areas of agreement concerning specific arrangements for Berlin. In a coast-to-coast television report on the adjourned Geneva conference, Mr. Herter said: “I believe that it may be possible to build on these areas of agreement if the Soviet Union is prepared to accept the continued existence of a free West Berlin under Western protection.” In his prepared remarks he added: “This is the critical question. If the Soviet Union persists in its determination to add more than two million free West Berliners to the captive peoples of Eastern Europe, then no agreement is possible. However, if the Soviets do not hold to this annexationist design, we should be able to reach agreements on Berlin consistent with the honour and interest of all our countries.” The Foreign Ministers’ Conference is due to reconvene in Geneva on July 13.

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