George H. W. Bush and Foreign Affairs
When East Germany opened its borders and Germans tore down the Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin in early November 1989, it marked a symbolic end to Communist rule in Eastern Europe. In the minds of many, the Cold War was over. Bush offered a muted response at a press conference on November 9. In retrospect, many people recognized that by refusing to gloat or declare victory over the Soviet Union, Bush probably helped avoid a backlash by hardliners in Eastern Europe. This collection provides an in-depth analysis of the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and its implications for U.S.-German relations. This collection contains correspondence and telephone conversations between President Bush and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl concerning the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany. N.B.: Many individual documents remain classified or unprocessed. "Document Withdrawal/Redaction Sheets" have been included in this microfilm collection. These withdrawal/redaction sheets itemize documents that have been withdrawn due to either national security or privacy restrictions, by the staff of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. As these documents are declassified and released, PSM will collect them for use in a future supplement.