Page 158

DOCUMENTS ON GERMANY, 1944-59
Letter from the Foreign Minister of the German Democratic Re-
public (Bolz) to Deputy Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union
(Zorin), September 20, 19551
The Government of the GDR has authorized me to confirm that
agreement has been reached on the following matters in consequence
of the negotiations conducted between the Government of the GDR
and the Government of the USSR in Moscow between September 17
and 20, 1955:
(1) The GDR exercises control over and guards the frontiers of the
GDR, the demarcation line between the GDR and the German Federal
Republic, at the outer ring of greater Berlin, within Berlin, and on
the lines of communication< between the German Federal Republic and
West Berlin situated on GDR territory.
In the control and guarding of lines of communication between the
German Federal Republic and West Berlin situated on GDR territory,
the GDR will insure with the appropriate authorities of the German
Federal Republic, the settlement of all matters connected with rail and
road traffic and the passage of shipping of the German Federal Re-
public and West Berlin, their citizens or inhabitants and foreign states
and their citizens, except for the personnel and material of the troops
of the United States, Great Britain, and France in West Berlin, which
is mentioned subsequently in paragraph 2.
In accordance with the above, the functions of issuing and complet-
ing shipping documents for shipping on the internal waterways of the
GDR and others will be exclusively exercised by the authorities of the
GDR.
(2) The control of traffic of troops and material of the garrisons of
France, England, and the United States stationed in West Berlin
passing between the German Federal Republic and West Berlin, will
temporarily be exercised by the command of Soviet troops in Ger-
many, pending the conclusion of an appropriate agreement. To this
end, the transportation of military personnel or of garrison material
of the troops of the three Western Powers in West Berlin will be
permitted on the basis of existing Four-Power decisions:
(A) On the Autobahn Berlin-Marienborn,
(B) On the Railway Line Berlin-Helmstedt, with empty roll-
ing stock being routed back on the Berlin-Oebisfelde Railway
Line.
(C) In the air corridors Berlin Hamburg, Beirlin-Bueckeburg,
and Berlin-Frankfurt-Main.
Statement by the American, British, and French Foreign Min-
isters, on the Soviet-GDR Agreements, September 28,1955 2
The Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom,
and France wish to make known their view on certain points in
connection with the agreements of September 20, 1955, as reported
in the press, between the Soviet Union and the regime in the Soviet
zone of Germany.
1 Soviet radio broadcast. Mr. Zorin addressed an analogous letter to Dr.
Bolz.
2 Department of State Bulletin, October 10, 1955, pp. 55,9-560. Issued at
New York.
158