John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy is sworn in as the 35th President of the United States in January 1961. The young charismatic politician fascinates Willy Brandt. Brandt collects his impressions of the American President in a book Meetings with Kennedy ("Begegnungen mit Kennedy"). Kennedy himself describes Brandt already in 1960 as "my friend".

With the Presidency of Kennedy there is a reorientation of American foreign and security policy. The defense capabilities of the Western alliance are to be reinforced through comprehensive rearmament. At the same time, Kennedy wants to remove the "hysteria" from the cold war. He signals his readiness to reach an understanding with the UdSSR. The superpowers henceforth should respect existing borders and spheres of interest as the basis of the status quo. Progress toward German reunification should no longer be a pre-condition for East-West détente.

Willy Brandt supports the new policy of the American President with the proviso that "the Americans will not permit themselves to be expelled step by step from Berlin". Kennedy summarizes the American interests in Berlin under three non-negotiable demands: continuation of the American military presence; free access to West Berlin for the western allies; and guarantees of self-determination for the West Berlin population and continued viability for the city.

Photographie Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin Inv.-Nr.: Schirner 81745/34

The construction of the Berlin Wall begins August 13, 1961. The stream of refugees into the West ceases. The DDR leadership has the backing of the Kremlin powers, who describe the "killing zone" at the border as a "border of peace". The Soviet leadership wants to test American preparedness to respect the then spheres of influence. To the great regret of the population of Berlin, the Americans as well as the British and French, accept this violation of the four-power status without significant protest.

Willy Brandt, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, is shocked at the circumstances the wall has created. People in East and West are separated overnight; families and friends are divided; in many cases access to work places is blocked. In a personal letter dated August 16, 1961, Brandt challenges the American President to take a clear political initiative. He proposes that the United Nations be called upon to proclaim a supplementary "three-power status" for West Berlin, under which the Western allies would guarantee the future freedom and viability of the city. In his reply, Kennedy rejects any political or moral responsibility for the construction of the Berlin wall. The Americans will continue in the future to ensure the freedom of West Berlin. However, the city will have to reconcile itself to the rupture of its ties to the East and to re-orient itself toward the West.

Willy Brandt is sobered by the defensive American stance in the Berlin issue. He understands that the new US foreign policy requires that West Germany be prepared to take initiatives in German and Eastern issues, in order to make the consequences of the partition of Berlin and all of Germany bearable for the population and for the survival of the nation.

Willy Brandt and his close collaborator Egon Bahr present their new ideas regarding German and Eastern policies in July 1963 to a conference of the Protestant Academy in Tutzing. The basis of the "new Eastern and German policy", as it will be described, is the recognition that the European catastrophe began with the seizure of power by the National Socialists in 1933 and that Germany must accept the historical results. This recognition can lead to contact with the East European states in a climate of détente. The new policy conceptualized by Willy Brandt and Egon Bahr is circumscribed by concepts such as "change through rapprochement" (Bahr) and "policy of small steps" (Brandt).

The American President visits Berlin in June 1963. The height of Willy Brandt's career as Governing Mayor is reached. "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner)-with this acknowledgment John F. Kennedy in 1963 underscores US support for the divided city and for the policies of Willy Brandt.

Brandt's "policy of small steps" bears fruit for the first time in December 1963, when the Berlin Senate signs the so-called pass agreement with the DDR regime. This permits limited visits by West Berliners to the Eastern sector of the city. The privilege is later extended to other citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Rede von US-Präsident John F. Kennedy vor dem Schöneberger Rathaus in Berlin am 26. Juni 1963 
(Deutsches Historisches Museum)

Ergebnisse der Bundestagswahl 1961
(Statistisches Bundesamt)