Word: brandts
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
While Werner Barm cautions that Stoph "is not a man to give up Communism," he concedes that "he is one of the few men in the party leadership who is seeking a reconciliation of Communism and the people." Clearly, Willy Brandt is hoping that the other Willi will some day start seeking the same sort of reconciliation between the people of East and West Germany as well...
...East Germans also tried to camouflage the feelings of their people. To avoid an overly enthusiastic reception for West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, authorities ordered workers to remain at their jobs and students to stay in class. To discourage an influx of visitors, Erfurt-bound trains were canceled and roadblocks were set up on all roads leading to the city...
Nonetheless, as Brandt stepped from his special train in Erfurt one morning last week, 3,000 East Germans had gathered. When Brandt, accompanied by East German Premier Willi Stoph (see box) walked across a square to the Hotel Erfurter Hof, the cheers began: "Willy! Willy! Willy!" When the two men stepped inside, the crowd broke through the police lines and surged across the square. Then, as if to make sure that nobody mistook which Willy they meant, they shouted: "Willy Brandt ans Fenster [Willy Brandt to the window]!" Moved to tears, Brandt briefly appeared at a third-story window...
...Brandt, with a portrait of East German Communist Boss Walter Ulbricht at his back, replied that the two German states could never regard each other as foreign countries. While he did not rule out negotiations on recognition, he stressed that the proper mission of the two German states was to narrow, not to widen, the gap between them. He suggested that Bonn and East Berlin work out plans for improved communications, freer travel and cultural and athletic exchanges. Said Brandt: "Unless we make a start in these areas, contracts about normalization are going to be nothing but an empty nutshell...
...Brandt warned that there were two subjects on which he was not prepared to yield. As the former mayor of West Berlin, he emphasized that he would undertake no agreement that jeopardized the city's security and economic viability. His statement was particularly significant because of the conference this week in Berlin between the Western allies and the Soviet Union over the status of the city. Brandt also declared that he would not agree to any treaty that might prevent the German people, East and West, from ultimately deciding how they wish to live together...