The Richard Nixon government’s attitude toward the announcement and beginning of the “New eastern policy” of the FRG (1969-1970)

The purpose of the article is to analyze the attitude of the Richard Nixon’s administration toward the announcement and beginning of the “new eastern policy” of the Federal Republic of Germany at the initial stage of its realization. One of the controversial periods of American-German relations is the realization of the “new eastern policy” of the Federal Republic of Germany. The initial stage includes the period from the coming to power of the government of the Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt on 21 October 1969 until the signing of the Moscow Treaty on 12 August 1970. The author has analyzed memorandums, telegrams, correspondence, and records of negotiations published in the collection “Foreign Relations of the United States”, especially the volume devoted to the policy toward the Federal Republic of Germany. The author also has analyzed the memoirs of the Richard Nixon’s National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger, the memoirs of the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Willy Brandt, and the memoirs of the Federal Minister for Special Assignments Egon Bahr. In Russian historiography, the phenomenon of the “new eastern policy” was investigated mainly in the context of the Soviet-German relations. This article pays attention to the attitude of the United States administration towards the “new eastern policy” in the context of American-German relations. The analysis of the documents has revealed that the attitude of the United States government toward the “new eastern policy’ of the FRG was constantly changing. The first perception and attitude toward the “new eastern policy” can be divided into four stages. The article provides assessment of each stage. The author concludes that the United States has reacted ambiguously to the promulgation of this policy. The American version of detente did not imply the problems raised by the “new eastern policy”. Thus, at the initial stage, the “new eastern policy” was perceived mostly negatively. United States officials had judged the policy of the FRG as rash, inconsistent and controversial. At the same time, the attitude of Richard Nixon’s cabinet toward this policy was also inconsistent. Nevertheless, the top officials of the United States had declared their official support of the policy of the FRG. On the contrary, they sharply criticized the “new eastern policy” privately. This research contributes to understanding how the American version of detente was reconsidered and the factor of the “new eastern policy” was incorporated in the foreign policy of the United States of America.

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