The United States of America in the Four Power Agreement on Berlin (1971)

Abstract

The article describes the role of the United States in the Quadripartite Agreement on the issue of West Berlin signed by France, the USA, the UK, and the USSR in 1971. American participation in the negotiations consisted of two stages: passive interaction and intense activity. The author believes that Washington faced internal and external obstacles that affected the dynamics of the US involvement in the negotiations. The Federal Republic of Germany pursued its own "new eastern policy", which complicated the diplomatic maneuvers of the United States on the status of West Berlin. However, it was President Kissinger who helped to smooth the contradiction between the USA, as well as to find a compromise with the USSR, thus solving the West Berlin problem. The Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin was an important step in the emerging détente between the two superpowers.