Quotes from Aidan Crawley

Churchill took a much cooler view. 'Trying to maintain good relations with a Communist is like wooing a crocodile,' he told Sir Alan Brooke. 'You do not know whether to tickle it under the chin or to beat it over the head. When it opens its mouth you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile or preparing to eat you up.

When an Allied official criticised the undisciplined behaviour of the Red Army in Germany, a Russian officer is said to have replied: 'This is not the Red Army. The Red Army perished on the battlefields in 1941 and 1942. These are the hordes of Asia whom we have whipped to war so that we might roll back the German onslaught.

The British and Americans were indignant with the Russians for extracting reparations from current German production and in the end refused to allow any more equipment to go to Russia from their zones; but the French, without any fuss and occupying the smallest and poorest territory, extracted proportionately even more than the Russians.

Between June and October the Americans, British and French ended the state of war with Germany

on 5th May, 1955, the Federal Republic became a fully sovereign state.

special Counterpart Fund, which, at its peak, reached DM 20 billion. This fund, which played a crucial part in German recovery, was administered by the government-owned Reconstruction Loan Corporation, run by Abs. It built houses, ships, repaired bridges and docks, rehabilitated public services like gas, water and electricity, and also met some part of the compensation claims for which the government made itself responsible.

Long before any other German politician, he had become convinced that the centre of gravity for the New Germany must be on the Rhine rather than in Berlin.

Adenauer was no less German, but infinitely more adroit. He, too, was irritated by the 'moralising' of the Anglo-Saxons, but he was aware of the deep distrust in which they held the Germans and, in particular, of their fear of Prussian domination

Adenauer was to work unremittingly for the reassumption of sovereignty by elected German representatives, he realised the necessity of working with rather than against the Allies. In the last resort he had already made up his mind where the best hope for his country lay.

Some Germans argue to-day that the struggle between Adenauer and Schumacher was the making of modern German democracy.