dodis.ch/52961 Telegram1 from the Dutch Ambassador in East Berlin, Egbert Jacobs2, to the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hans van den Broek3

GDR in Final Phase

If one could still think initially that a breather would be inserted after 1 July to recover, it has now become clear that the GDR population sees no reason to prolong the continued existence of this state. The successful course of the introduction of the D-mark has brought more confidence in the future. Rarely is anything heard any more about the “insertion of own values/achievements” or about “proceeding on an equal footing together”. Protests about “selling out to the FRG” have fallen silent.

In this mood it has become impossible to pursue non party politics and GDR parties, with the exception of the PDS, have become reconciled to their insignificance. Hence the ever-advancing dates on which they will “join” the FRG parties. Of course parties without an equivalent in the FRG naturally feel threatened as regards their continued existence. Meanwhile, the farmer’s party DBP, having emerged as a relative winner in the municipal elections of 6 May, has affiliated itself with the CDU. The original “Aufbruch” party DA of Minister Eppelmann4 is expected to follow this example soon. The DSU is unable to merge with the CSU for political reasons emanating from Bonn and Munich and will go under due to internal division, fueled by reproaches about the cooperation of its recent leadership with FRG representatives. Right-wing Germany is clearly gathering in the DSU, and because both DSU Ministers (Ebeling5/Development Cooperation and Diestel6/Internal Affairs) have left their party without returning their portfolio, the DSU is no longer represented in the government.

Today the Minister of Justice has also left his (liberal) party “because of excessive influence of West German FDP”. Read: because of too much criticism from the West German liberal side on the past of Minister Wünsche7. That Prime Minister De Maiziere8 keeps these three – now non-aligned – gentlemen indicates, in my opinion, that he has faith in Diestel and Wünsche as competent administrators who are to remain until December. Both in legislative adjustment and in dismantling the STASI, party-political fiddling is inconvenient. Nonetheless the term “government crisis” has already been used, but has not led to visible political excitement, a sign of waning interest in the ups and downs of the government that is already seen as an extension of Bonn.

Of the 3 conditions for joint elections at the beginning of December that have been brought forward by the GDR coalition – the “Unification Treaty”9, the establishment of “Länder”, and the termination of the 2 + 4 consultations10 – only the latter appears to constitute a potential problem. However, the GDR (population) has little to do with this: in this country the issue arouses hardly any interest and every result appears acceptable as long as it does not delay unification and, secondly, brings an end to foreign patronage. If the USSR continues to make trouble, this will certainly work against Moscow. The special GDR-USSR connection has long been chopped off mentally by the population. Which does not mean that “die Wirtschaft”11 has lost its interest in the markets in the east. On the contrary, but almost exclusively as a sales market.