Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "193665",
    "label": "Germany: Security, 1962: October-December",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193665"
}

{
    "id": "193665",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193665",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Germany: Security, 1962: October-December",
    "description": "This file contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Germany. Materials pertain to the situation in Berlin, German defense expenditures, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Of note is a memorandum from Canadian Ambassador to the Soviet Union Arnold Smith regarding his talk with Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev about Berlin and Germany, and a letter from Khrushchev to President Kennedy concerning the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also included in this file is a memorandum of a conversation between United States Secretary of State Robert S. McNamara and Foreign Minister of Germany (Federal Republic) Gerhard Schroeder. This file contains some German-language material.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193665",
    "identifierLocal": "JFKPOF-117a-001",
    "collections": [
        "Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: President's Office Files",
        "Country Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Berlin (Germany)",
        "Germany (West)",
        "Soviet Union",
        "Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962",
        "International relations"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/1936/193665/content/presidential-libraries/kennedy/POF/JFKPOF-117a-001/JFKPOF-117a-001-p0002.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/1936/193665/content/presidential-libraries/kennedy/POF/JFKPOF-117a-001/JFKPOF-117a-001-p0002.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/1936/193665/content/presidential-libraries/kennedy/POF/JFKPOF-117a-001/JFKPOF-117a-001-p0002.jpg",
    "imageCount": 104,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193665",
    "naId": 193665,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "day": 4,
        "logicalDate": "1963-01-04",
        "month": 1,
        "year": 1963
    },
    "coverageStartDate": {
        "day": 3,
        "logicalDate": "1962-10-03",
        "month": 10,
        "year": 1962
    },
    "itemCount": 8,
    "languages": [
        "German"
    ],
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/1936/193665/content/presidential-libraries/kennedy/POF/JFKPOF-117a-001/JFKPOF-117a-001-p0002.jpg",
    "mediaId": "800b2c94a24d954b",
    "ocrText": "October 3, 1962\nSECRET\nDear Chancellor Adenauer:\nAs you know, Secretary McNamara has just returned\nfrom a short visit to Germany. He has informed me of his\nexcellent impressions of the Bundeswehr units that he visited\nand the outstanding working relationships existing between\nGerman and American armed forces.\nAs I indicated to Minister Erhard during our discussions\non September 14, we have re-examined our views on the German\ndefense budget. In lieu of the figure of DM 17.4 billion which\nMinister Erhard mentioned to me, I now understand that the\nGerman defense budget for 1963 will probably be reduced to\nDM 17 billion. This figure would clearly require the postpone-\nment or reduction of German defense programs to reach agreed\nNATO goals. Even though it represents an appreciable increase\nover the DM 15 billion provided in 1962. this level of defense\nwould approximate only about 5.7% of the projected gross\nnational product of the Federal Republic. We would hope that\nit might be possible for Germany to provide during 1963 the\napproximately DM 18 billion which we understand is necessary\nto meet German defense requirements. We would also hope\nthat Germany, in light of its continuing economic progress,\ncould approach the 7.3% and .7% of gross national product\ndevoted to defense in 1961 by the United Kingdom and France,\ncomputed on the same basis. We believe such a figure will\neventually be necessary for Germany to meet its full NATO\ncommitments.\nMinister Erhard also spoke to me about French forces\nin Germany. 1 fully share his concern over the readiness\nposture of French ground forces committed to NATO, and\nbelieve that we should take every opportunity to encourage\nFrance to improve the combat capability of these divisions,\nand to provide the additional units needed to meet NATO re-\nquirements in order to implement a forward strategy.\nAs\nSECRET\nDECLASSIFIED\nE.O. 12356, Sec. 3.4\nNLK-95-41\nBy MMK NARA Da.o 3/29/96"
}