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{
    "localId": "6036657",
    "label": "Memorandum of Conversation [MemCon] McNamara to Strauss",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6036657"
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{
    "id": "6036657",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6036657",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum of Conversation [MemCon] McNamara to Strauss",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6036657",
    "collections": [
        "Robert S. McNamara Papers",
        "Records Relating to the Defense Program and Operations"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989"
    ],
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{
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    "naId": 6036657,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 14,
            "logicalDate": "1961-07-14",
            "month": 7,
            "year": 1961
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
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{
    "seq": 2,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/57/366/6036657/content/arcmedia/research/1961-berlin-crisis/932006-1-1-63A/Conversation-McNamara-to-Strauss-002.jpg",
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    "ocrText": "SECRET\n-2-\nreach our own position before bringing the Germans in. He said\nseveral times that the question of whether Germany would give the\nU.S. full support was \"no issue, TI but he specifically said that\nhe was not in a position to answer the question put to him with\nan unqualified yes. He related at all times, both explicitly and\nimplicitly, German support and commitment to go down the line with\nus to full prior consultation with the Government of the Federal\nRepublic. However, he expressed bis personal belief that in the\nend the Federal Republic would be at our side when the time came\nfor taking whatever steps we felt were necessary, including those\nwhich might lead to armed conflict.\nHe stressed his personal feeling that there is a wide\ndiscrepancy between the professions of firmness and resolution to\ndefend Berlin which have been given on repeated occasions by the\nWest and the actual means to apply this attitude of firmness in\npractice. He complained about the absence of emergency legislation\nin Cermany, and indicated that he was continually pressing the\nChancellor to take measures necessary to enact the required\nlegislation. He strongly criticized the German Socialist position\nwhich he accused of paying lip service to NATO and Western defense\nwhile being absolutely opposed to the measures which should be\ntaken to enable Germany to meet the situation she faced.\nWith regard to that part of the conversation which had to\ndo with NATO strategy, Minister Strauss repeated the Germans¹\nviews which have already been conveyed to us officially.\nSECRET"
}