Cold War: Soft Wave

Silhouetted against the Soviet embassy's big picture window overlooking the Rhine, Ambassador Andrei Smirnov wore a thoughtful look as he toyed with his vodka glass. Before him sat his West German guests—editors, members of the Bundestag, an official from the government press office. Moscow's new policy, pleaded Smirnov, is not meant as "bait," or as "mere propaganda." The "highest personality in the Soviet Union" (Nikita Khrushchev) is behind this idea: the Soviet Union and West Germany must "normalize" their relations. Russia is no longer disposed to deal only with the U.S., Britain and France as a group in search of a German settlement; Bonn must talk to Moscow.

All over Europe last week, Russians were pushing this line. They had begun late last year when a Foreign Ministry official in Moscow called in West German Ambassador Hans Kroll and handed him a sheaf of papers. "You can do what you want with this," remarked the Russian with a shrug. It was a long and rambling document without address or signature, but it was obviously important. For one thing, it referred to the "gifted" German people and used other flattering words that contrasted with the insults of the past. Pointedly ignoring Moscow's East German satellite, the memorandum declared: "The Soviet Union and West Germany are the greatest states of Europe."

Echo from the Past? Coupled with the compliments for West Germany were dazzling hints of trade treasures ahead; an "ocean-size market is waiting . . . but only a tiny part of existing possibilities is being used." Getting to the point last week. Radio Moscow spoke of "the spirit of Rapallo,"* and in a major switch, Pravda assured Bonn that none of this meant West Germany must become a "neutral" and leave NATO; relations could be "normalized" without breaking up existing blocs. In fact, it was hinted that Russia might drop the idea of a separate peace treaty with East Germany if the West Germans would open negotiations with Moscow.

Bonn officials pooh-poohed the whole affair as an obvious effort to divide the West, and Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss declared that West Germany would "under no circumstances" change its policy. But the West German press and public clearly got a big charge out of all the unexpected attention. MOSCOW WOOING BONN AGAIN, boasted the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung; headlined another paper: MOSCOW CONTINUES SOFT WAVE.

It all was especially appealing to the Free Democrats, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer's coalition partners, whose backers —a cloudy mixture of old-line nationalists and big industrial interests—had always urged experimental bargaining with the Russians to test the chances of future German reunification. Their party boss, Dr. Erich Mende, suggested that Bonn take over part of the negotiations with Russia from the U.S.'s Moscow Ambassador Llewellyn E. Thompson, who under present Allied agreement speaks for the West as a whole.