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DOCIUMENTS ON GERRMANY, 1944-59
already been demonstrated by the steady stteam of refugees in recent
months, as well as the demonstrations which began on June 17. This
increasing contrast between Western and Eastern Germany, the latter
with its bankrupt regime and impoverished economy, will in the long
run produce conditions which should make possible the liquidation
of the present Communist dictatorship and of the Soviet occupation.
While a future all-German Government must obviously be free to
choose the degree to which it wishes to enter into defensive and other
arrangements compatible with the principles of the United Nations,
I can hardly imagine that it would seek the path of complete and pre-
mature disarmament in the presence of other nations still heavily
armed. I believe this is a matter worthy of serious attention. Those
who in Germany believe they can suggest an easy, safe solution
through defenseless neutralization should carefully ponder the true
wisdom and safety of such a course.
Speaking for America, and I believe the rest of the free world shares
this view, I can say that there has been enough bloodshed and enough
misery and enough destruction in the past 50 years to deter any people
or any Government of the West from any ideas of military aggression.
But the peace we all so dearly seek cannot be maintained through
weakness. EDO will be the simplest, most unequivocal, and most self-
evident demonstration of strength for peace.
No one can foretell what the unfolding months will bring, but it
can certainly be said that the workers of Berlin's Soviet Sector and
the workers of East Germany, with the workers of Czechoslovakia,
have started something that will have an important place on the pages
of history. May the concluding chapter of that history record the
reemergence of freedom, of peace, and of happiness.
Joint Communique of the Soviet Union and the German
Democratic Republic, August 22, 19531
From August 20 to 22 negotiations took place in Moscow between
the Soviet Government and the Governmental Delegation of the
German Democratic Republic.
On the Soviet side the following took part in the negotiations: The
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the U.S.S.R., G. M. Malen-
kov; the First Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Min-
ister of Foreign Affairs of the U.S.S.R., V. M. Molotov: the Secre-
tary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union, N. S. Khrushchev; the First Vice-Chairman of the Council of
Ministers and Minister of Defense of the U.S.S.R., N. A. Bulganin;
the First Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the U.S.S.R.,
L. M. Kaganovich; the Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers and
Minister of Home and Foreign Trade of the U.S.S.R., A. I. Mikoyan:
the Chairman of the State Planning Commnittee of the U.S.S.R.,
M. S. Saburov; the Minister of Finance of the U.S.S.R., A. G. Zverev;
the High Commissioner of the U.S.S.R. in Germany, Ambassador
V. S. Semenov.
On the side of the German Democratic Republic the following took
part in the negotiations: the Minister President of the German Demo-
'Document8 on German Unity, vol. Iv, pp. 89-90.