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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Thatcher Urged Gorbachev to Block German Reunification

British leader warned Soviets that the change would endanger security

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(Newser) – Margaret Thatcher called on Mikhail Gorbachev to halt German reunification months before the Berlin Wall came down, newly unearthed Kremlin documents reveal. Thatcher—telling the Soviet leader he should disregard NATO pronouncements on the issue—said the breakdown of the Warsaw Pact wasn't in the interests of the West, the Times of London reports.

"We do not want a united Germany,” Thatcher said. “This would lead to a change to postwar borders, and we cannot allow that because such a development would undermine the stability of the whole international situation and could endanger our security." Declassified British records show that French leader Francois Mitterand was also firmly opposed to reunification. He told Thatcher he feared a united Germany could "make even more ground than had Hitler."

Soviet leaders considering tearing down the Berlin Wall themselves as protests spread in 1989, according to Kremlin documents.
Soviet leaders considering tearing down the Berlin Wall themselves as protests spread in 1989, according to Kremlin documents.   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev holds talks with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev holds talks with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.   (Getty Images)
Mikhail Gorbachev is pictured in the audience as President Barack Obama speaks at the National Economic School graduation in Moscow earlier this year.
Mikhail Gorbachev is pictured in the audience as President Barack Obama speaks at the National Economic School graduation in Moscow earlier this year.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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We do not want a united Germany,” she said. “This would lead to a change to postwar borders, and we cannot allow that because such a development would undermine the stability of the whole international situation and could endanger our security.” -

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3 comments
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yellowjeep
Sep 11, 09 2:54 AM CDT
Thats pretty intriguing. That last quote is pretty ridiculous Reply
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Scrambles
Sep 11, 09 2:58 AM CDT
agreed, interesting stuff
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+1
ksu92
Sep 11, 09 5:06 AM CDT
What an evil slash; no wonder why the Repuglicans loved her so much. Reply
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