Word: erhards
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...only political-science fiction, but The German Confederation, written by Rudiger Altmann, a publicist who has been a consultant to Chancellor Ludwig Erhard, rapidly became a national topic of conversation when it was televised last month. And why not? Its scenario is nothing if not heady...
...story begins in late 1966. Erhard forms a "grand coalition" with the opposition Social Democrats to promote a daring new policy for the reunification of Germany. Lyndon Johnson approves, takes the occasion of a visit to Berlin in 1967 to offer a U.S. guarantee of Poland's Oder-Neisse border to win over the Poles. Wladyslaw Gomulka, nervous at first, finally accepts an invitation to go to Washington. In February 1968, Erhard proposes to East Germany's Walter Ulbricht that joint plans be drafted for the formation of a German confederation, no longer insisting on free all-German...
Shaping the plan was not easy. First of all, German opposition had to be overcome because the free-enterprise government of Chancellor Ludwig Erhard has an aversion to government planning. To get German cooperation, the drafting group pretended it was talking about something else, never used the word planning, and called itself the "Medium Term Economic Policy Committee." The committee also had to avoid appearing to move toward European political integration, which would arouse the wrath of French President Charles de Gaulle. What resulted fell short of being a real blueprint for Europe's economic future...
Chancellor Ludwig Erhard refuses to be bullied. "There can be no throwback to occupation status," he declared in Berlin last week. "Nor will we abandon our position that French troops [in West Germany] must have a definite task within defense planning." A tripartite group of British, West German and U.S. diplomats last week produced a paper that said much the same thing; it will serve as Bonn's bargaining position in next month's talks with the French. Erhard hopes that the 27,000 French troops in Germany will remain on station, linked unilaterally with the West Germans...
...Gaulle will be impressed by those considerations remains to be seen. Despite his vocal "suspicion" of American intentions in Europe, he is nonetheless counting on the U.S. to shield France from aggression no matter how much mischief he stirs up. He admitted as much in a recent meeting with Erhard. When the Chancellor protested that "we cannot live without the protection of the U.S.," De Gaulle replied blandly: "Neither...