At the Creation of a New Germany: From Adenauer to Brandt—An Ambassador's Account (review)

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

BOOK REVIEWS 183 main benefactors— the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia —suffering problems of their own, it has become increasingly difficult for the regime to reward its loyalists with the spoils of executive privilege. However, Asad remains, as Seale effectively demonstrates, one of the most important figures in the Middle East today. Seale's biography conveys to international policymakers a better understanding of Asad's background and future plans. Most importantly, Seale explores the reasons behind Asad's actions and policies. Despite its forbidding length and sometimes difficult style, Seale's book is worthwhile for its valuable insights into the mind of one of the region's most formidable leaders, and as a guide through the labyrinth of Middle Eastern politics. At the Creation of a New Germany: From Adenauer to Brandt—An Ambassador 's Account. By George McGhee. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. 289 pp. $25.00/cloth. Reviewed by Michael Lenz, M.A. Candidate, SAIS. During his stint in Germany, former U.S. Ambassador George McGhee was actively involved in foreign affairs when historical changes were taking place in German politics and in the country's world status. McGhee has proven to be an able reporter, chronicling for future generations the period from May 1963 to September 1969, years of much change, movement, and turmoil within West German society and the world as a whole. McGhee structures his account along chronological lines, beginning with his first meetings with Konrad Adenauer, at that time still the dominating personality in German politics. His brief insider's account of President John F. Kennedy's historic visit to Berlin includes Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner"speech, one of the most well-known historical documents in Germany. For the younger generation of Germans, this speech epitomizes the Kennedy Image. McGhee relates how Kennedy received a crash course in German at a party the evening before his tribute to the German people. McGhee follows the rapid fall of Adenauer's leadership and the experiences of the Erhard government. As U.S. ambassador, he had ready access to the German leadership and consequently is able to paint a picture of the mosaic of personalities. But he also addresses many of the then-timely issues in American-West European relations, especially the Multilateral Force (MLF) dispute and negotiations of the Limited Test Ban Agreement and the Nonproliferation Treaty. Through McGhee's account, one learns about Germany's resistance behind the scenes. The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) wanted assurances that the Nonproliferation Treaty would not hinder creation of the MLF. In addition, trade issues played an important role in world affairs, and McGhee presents perspectives on the delicate triangle relationship between France, West Germany, and the United States. With the mid-1960s came Johnson's demands for stronger West German support of the American effort in Vietnam. In the context of a fledgling student 184 SAIS REVIEW movement, these demands sparked domestic protests against German government policies supportive of U.S. interests. McGhee reports that his frequent speeches at German universities became more and more difficult to deliver. But McGhee adapted well to the changing conditions; at one point, he writes, "I avoided trouble at the Free University of Berlin by speaking on an apolitical subject." Of course, this attitude does little to express official American points of view to the German people. McGhee does not comment on the formation of opposition movements outside the government. The coalidon formed by major German political parties left little room for effective opposition within the Parliament. With the advent of these domestic movements within Germany's political system came a revamping of obsolete and antiquated foreign policy concepts, and West Germany tried to come to terms with its eastern neighbors. When McGhee first came to Germany, the Hallstein doctrine was still official politics , meaning that the FRG would break relations with any state that recognized East Germany. The next few years saw the dismantling of this doctrine. McGhee observed the cautious steps toward establishing relations with East European countries, and gives insights on the U.S. perspective during the transition period to the Grand Coalition and the first signs of a Social Democratic Coalition . Frequently, German politicians...