London 6-Power Conference

The London six-power conference was a conference of the three Western occupying powers and the Benelux countries as direct neighbors of West Germany, on the way to the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany was leveled. An invitation to the Soviet Union fared.

The London six-power conference lasted from February to June 1948. You here was composed of two sessions. The first began on 23 February in the old India Office and ended on March 6. The second began on April 20 and ended on June 2. The aim of the conference was to provide the basis for the involvement of a democratic Germany in the international community, that is, before all, to develop into a federalist, democratic German state by reorganizing the field of three Western occupation zones. The prime ministers of the countries were authorized to implement to convene the Constituent Parliamentary Council.

The Soviet Union protested in a note already at February 13, 1948 against the holding of the Conference. On February 23, was handed over by the Ambassador of Czechoslovakia Kratochvil the Prague Declaration in London. It called on the Foreign Minister of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia to participate in upcoming meetings Germany. They pointed out that the London conference would be contrary to the Potsdam Agreement. The Western powers responded late February and noted that the agreement the possibility of consulting multiple occupation forces on issues of common interest does not preclude. In the American and English grade of the Soviet Union was accused of failing to pay attention to the principle of economic unity of Germany. The French government agreed to be bound by the Potsdam Agreement.

The victorious powers and Benelux countries, leaving the drafting of the Constitution of Germany Conference, but put restrictions such as a prohibition of NBC weapons and other heavy armor and military intervention in the Soviet occupation zone. At the next Council meeting on inspection March 20, 1948 the Soviet commander Marshal Sokolovsky was denied the information about the conference results. As a result, the Soviet Union ceased its participation in the Allied Control Council.

From the conference, the Frankfurt documents went ( Recommendations to the top representatives of the Western zones, the nine prime ministers of the countries and the Mayor of Bremen and Hamburg) produced and the London agreements ( to the six own governments ). France approved the merger of the three Western occupation zones for Trizone was controlled internationally under the condition that the Saarland separated and economically connected to France and the Ruhr Area. During the conference break, the Western military governors declared their accession to the European zones reconstruction program (Marshall Plan).