Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Jeffrey Lewis, Mr. Wiesner, and Dr. Otto Shur

6885 DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND 818 Memorandum of Conversation SERVICE* 106 DATE: April 12, 1951 SUBJECT: Interview between the Secrotary of State and Dr. Otto Suhr PARTICIPANTS: The Secrotary of Stato Mr. Lewis, GER Mr. Wiesner, GPA Dr. Otto Suhr, SPD, Chairman of the Berlin House of Representatives COPIES TO: s/s Mr. Wymen Mr. Byroade Mr. Loukhuff (Paris) Mr. Lowis Mr. Jones (Berlin) Mr. Calhoun Miss Wollington (Berlin) Nr. Kellerman GER Files Mr. Prud'home DCR u. s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 Dr. Suhr began by saying that Germany and Europe would be relieved at the solution which President Fruman adopted in the MacArthur case. Europeans, he continued, had gotten the impression that the U.S. was pursuing a Far Eastern policy calculated to lead to genoral war, and the dismissal of MacArthur will end that foar. The Secretary agreed and added that this was a case whore the civil authority had neadod to assert its supremacy over the military. Dr. Suhr said that he hoped that the U.S. would understand, in connection with its desire to rearm Germany, that nany Germans had a groat fear of genernls becoming superior to the civil authority, en authority which in Formany is not au strong or stable as in the U.S. The Secretary replied that porhaps the Paris talks about a European any would solve that problen. The rest of the interview consisted of questions by the Secretary and answors by Dr. Suhr. The Secretery's question: What is the general feeling in Gormany about the four-Powor proparatory talls? Dr. Suhr'a answort The German poople does not clearly understand the issues being debated, and wonders whether the talks are going to go on indefinitely or be broken off over some matter which the Germens think inconsequential. U.S. propagenda should try to explain the issues clearly to Germany. The Gormans believo that a Foreign Ministers' meeting should occur. They do not have much hope of agreement on Cerman unification, but they think that another attempt at agreement should be made. DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 3(D) or (E) The Secrotary Dept. of State letter, 5-12-76 1973 Bx NLT- HC MARS Date 6-24-76