Evening star., 1961-07-18

Germany ana beTItn:
The United States Govern
ment has given careful consid-
Grafton to the Soviet Govern
ment's aide-memoire received
on June 4. 1861, in Vienna. II
has consulted with its British
and French allies and has
found itself in full agreement
with them. It has also con-
suited the government Of the
Federal Republic of Germany,
and the other member govern
mentS Of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization.
The United States Govern
ment fully concurs with the
Soviet Government tn at a
peace settlement is long over
due. 1t is clear from the public
record Of efforts on the part
Of the Western powers to reach
agreement with the Soviet
Union on the terms of such a
peace settlement that it is the
Soviet Union which has blocked
all progress. The United States
first suggested in 1916 that a
special commission be ap-
pointed to draft a German
peace treaty. It has continued
its efforts throughout all the
intervening years but without
avail because Of the Soviet'S
efforts to obtain special advan-
tageS for itself and the Soviet
bloc in any such settlement at
the expense Of q lasting peace.
vi Sincerity Is Aim
The United States Govern
ment would like to be able to
believe the Soviet Governments
statement that it sincerely de-
sires to remove the sources Of
tension between the United
States and the Soviet Union
and to proceed to constructive
friendly cooperation.
This aim Is close to the heart
Of the American people and
their Government. It found its
expression in wartime cooper
alton, and the United States
was deeply disappointed when
Soviet postwar actions dis
rupted the conditions for its
continuation. The conclusion
Of the German treaty in peace
and freedom and based on the
freely expressed will Of the Ger
man people would, indeed,
allow the USSR and the United
States to come much closer to
the attainment Of this goal.
With regard to Berlin, the
United States is not insisting
on the maintenance OF its legal
rights because of any desire
merely to perpetrate its pres
ence there. 1t is insisting on,
ahd will defend, its legal right
against attempts at unilateral
abrogation because the free
dom Of the people Of West Ber-
lin depends upon the main
tenance of those rights.
Support by West Berlin
The support and approval of
the people Of West Berlin for
the system under which they
live has been made amply clear
over the years. Their over
whelming support for their
government in free elections Is
the dramatic example Of this.
That the United States is not
welded to one particular ar
rangement for Berlin is demon
strated by the all-Berlin solu-
ton which was proposed at
Geneva in 1859. It has ac-
cepted the possibility of prac-
tical arrangements intended to
improve the present situation
in Berlin until such time as an
overall solution Of the Ger
man problem can be achieved.
It is sorry to note that all
the proposals it has made to
that end have been rejected by
the government of the USSR.
However, the United Staets also
supports the clearly expressed
wish Of the West Berliners
that no change be made in the
status Of their city which would
expose them, at once or grad
ually over q long time, to the
domination Of the regime which
presently controls the sur
rounding areas.
The United States Govern
ment continues to believe that
there will be no real solution Of