Word: bonnes
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...took the steam out of his reputation as the country's No. 1 vote getter. Even his special relationship with the U.S. was called into question after he came away from a Washington visit in September without a promise from Lyndon Johnson to reduce the amount of money Bonn must spend next year to offset the costs of maintaining U.S. troops in West Germany. Last week came Erhard's severest shock of all: he found himself in the uncomfortable position of running the first minority government in West Germany's postwar history...
...moment, such an agreement seems out of the question. Still, Bonn hummed with rumors of startling new alignments in West German politics. As unlikely as it seemed, whispers rose that the Free Democrats might join with the Social Democratic Party in a coalition government and thus break 17 years of uninterrupted Christian Democrat rule. Mende, eager to establish a bargaining position with Erhard, declared that "in principle" he saw no objection to a coalition with the Socialists. There was also talk of a "grand coalition" between the Socialists and the Christian Democrats, with Interior Minister Paul...
...changed world circumstances were also reflected last week in Bonn, as U.S. and British delegations sat down with West German officials to bargain for more German marks for Allied soldiers. Almost forgotten were the old fears of a sudden rush of Soviet tanks into Berlin. In fact, Britain and the U.S. were clearly more concerned with their balance-of-payments problems than they were with the Communists...
Defense Secretary Robert McNamara so far has refused to allow the Germans to back down on their agreement. His unspoken threat: if Bonn does not ease the U.S. balance of payments burden by continuing the scheduled purchases, American forces might be substantially reduced in Germany. The prospect of U.S. troop reductions is a nightmare for any West German politician, and especially for Erhard. Nothing would bolster his standing in Germany quite so much as a resounding pledge from the President that U.S. troop strength will remain close to current levels. Presumably, Erhard also wants to try again for a commitment...
...forestall Germany's supposed craving for atomic weapons. Although the MLF would give the Germans no more than a veto on the use of certain ship-borne missiles, the Soviets suspect that this might lead to more extensive German control in the future. They do not believe that Bonn will be content with such veto-power...