BERLIN: The Wall is Not Forever

by Eleanor Lansing Dulles ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 1967

Eleanor Lansing Dulles is the granddaughter, the niece and the sister of American Secretaries of State. She worked for the State Department in Austrian and German affairs from 1942 to 1959 and in 1965 returned to Berlin for a perspective on more recent events since the construction of the Wall in 1961. A specialist in international finance, Dr. Dulles reviews the history of crisis in Germany since the surrender and occupation down to the elections of 1965 which marked the end of the era dominated by Adenauer as Chancellor. Her book is, one feels, thorough in details but, due perhaps to many years as a working diplomat, extremely cautious when it comes to speculations and intangible qualities. She says that during her 1965 visit there was a ""clamor"" for reunification but, at the same time, ""the signs of force preventing the joining of the East Zone to the Federal Republic are impressive."" Perhaps then, within this style of presenting both viewpoints with equal emphasis, it is almost meaningful to state: ""The word 'confederation' is now no longer anathema."" The Wall may not be forever (what is?) but from the point of view of the East it has been a success. Specialists may be able to glean more from Dr. Dulles' book than the general reader.

Pub Date: May 27, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Univ. of North Carolina Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION