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ANNEX J
ALTERNATIVE POSTURES CONCERNING EAST GERMANS ON ACCESS ROUTES
It has been requested that the Secretary of State submit recommendations concerning the posture which the US, UK, and France should adopt toward the appearance of East German personnel along the routes of access to Berlin following a "peace treaty." These recommendations were not requested for the NSC meeting of July 13, but it was suggested that the possible alternatives might be discussed in a preliminary way at that meeting in order to keep the framework of the other studies before the Council.
Present Plans
The basic tripartitely-agreed paper governing surface access procedures dated September 22, 1959, provides for two contingencies:
1. replacement of Soviet control personnel at the checkpoints on the Berlin-Halmsdorf road and rail routes by East German personnel who, in the capacity of agents acting for the Soviet Union, will seek to check travel documents of Allied personnel; and
2. replacement of Soviet control personnel at checkpoints on the Berlin-Halmsdorf road and rail routes by East German personnel who, although not acting as agents of the Soviet Union, will seek to control the travel of Allied personnel.
In the first case, that of explicit acknowledgment of agency relationship by the Soviets, the procedures to be followed will be those presently executed by Soviet control officials.
In the second case, involving denial by the Soviets that such an agency relationship exists, the agreed plans to be followed involve the use of the so-called "peel-off" procedure. In essence, this is intended to identify Allied movements as being entitled to unrestricted access to Berlin, and involves handing over to East German personnel at each checkpoint a copy of the Allied travel order but not accepting the stamping of a travel order as a condition of passage.
Physical Interference
It has been proposed that instead of present plans "persistent physical interference" with access to Berlin should be the point at which the West would have to demonstrate its determination. This proposal is made by some who believe the
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