Word: scheele
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Willy Brandt's sudden trip to Moscow was made possible by the unexpectedly early conclusion of treaty talks between Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and West German Foreign Minister Walter Scheel the week before. Brandt's visit contrasted sharply with that of stiff-backed, patriarchal Konrad Adenauer, who went to Moscow 15 years ago and agreed grudgingly to establish diplomatic relations in return for the freedom of nearly 10,000 German prisoners of war. Brandt's visit, by contrast, was friendly and informal, but like so many contemporary events, it began with a bomb scare...
...every opportunity, Brandt sought to engage the Soviet leaders on the subject of Berlin. In the earlier negotiations with West German Foreign Minister Walter Scheel, the Russians had refused to discuss it, adamantly insisting that it was a four-power responsibility and none of West Germany's business. Under pressure from Scheel, however, the Soviets had privately agreed that if the West Germans would proceed with the signing of the treaty, some progress; would take place in the four-power talks on Berlin. At the final meeting with Brandt, Kosygin begged off by saying that the Soviets, after...
Brandt to extend his trip and tour the country, but Brandt said no. For one thing, he wanted to dampen Soviet enthusiasm somewhat. He was taken aback at the grandiose terms in which the Soviets spoke of the treaty. Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, for example, told Scheel: "West Germany used to say it was an economic giant and a political dwarf. But now you are a political giant too." Brandt demurred. "I would like to say that I am a little scared by the superlatives that one finds here and there," he cautioned. "As a Berliner, I want...
...Moscow, Scheel showed that he could both negotiate and make people laugh. When asked how he felt after the early discussions hit snags, he replied: "I've kept my casualness but for the time being I've canceled my cheerfulness." Later he won several important concessions, such as the unilateral declaration of German unity and a private understanding from Gromyko that the renuniciation-of-force treaty would pave the way toward progress in the Big Four talks on Berlin. In an unusually cordial gesture, Gromyko invited Scheel for the weekend to his dacha outside Moscow. Shucking their coats...
...Scheel returned Gromyko's hospitality by throwing a lavish luncheon for both delegations. In the middle of the luncheon, Scheel, who had just received a picture of his baby daughter yawning, whipped out his wallet to show Gromyko his little German namesake...