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| Egon Bahr, Who Laid Groundwork for German Reunification, Dies at 93 | Egon Bahr, Who Laid Groundwork for German Reunification, Dies at 93 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Alison Smale contributed reporting. | |
| Egon Bahr, a prominent Social Democrat whose efforts to improve West Germany’s relations with the Soviet bloc helped pave the way for German reunification 45 years after World War II, has died, the party announced on Thursday. He was 93. | Egon Bahr, a prominent Social Democrat whose efforts to improve West Germany’s relations with the Soviet bloc helped pave the way for German reunification 45 years after World War II, has died, the party announced on Thursday. He was 93. |
| Party officials said he had died overnight. | |
| Mr. Bahr, an architect of Ostpolitik, West Germany’s Cold War policy of rapprochement with Moscow and its client states, was active to the last in his efforts to reduce more recent East-West tensions. He visited Moscow last month to join the former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev in a public plea for continued détente between Germany and Russia — the cause to which Mr. Bahr devoted much of his life. | Mr. Bahr, an architect of Ostpolitik, West Germany’s Cold War policy of rapprochement with Moscow and its client states, was active to the last in his efforts to reduce more recent East-West tensions. He visited Moscow last month to join the former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev in a public plea for continued détente between Germany and Russia — the cause to which Mr. Bahr devoted much of his life. |
| A divided Germany, and the divided city of Berlin in the heart of East Germany, became the front lines of the Cold War after World War II ended in 1945, but Mr. Bahr — a journalist and later a key aide to Chancellor Willy Brandt (and alter ego, some said) — never lost hope that his country would one day be whole again. | A divided Germany, and the divided city of Berlin in the heart of East Germany, became the front lines of the Cold War after World War II ended in 1945, but Mr. Bahr — a journalist and later a key aide to Chancellor Willy Brandt (and alter ego, some said) — never lost hope that his country would one day be whole again. |
| He believed that the best way to narrow, if not erase, Germany’s division was through patient negotiations on the basis of shared interests, not overwhelming strength. He called his approach Ostpolitik, aimed at normalizing relations with all of West Germany’s Communist neighbors to the east. | He believed that the best way to narrow, if not erase, Germany’s division was through patient negotiations on the basis of shared interests, not overwhelming strength. He called his approach Ostpolitik, aimed at normalizing relations with all of West Germany’s Communist neighbors to the east. |
| The policy was at first denounced by the conservative Christian Democratic Union, which governed West Germany for most of its first 20 years and which refused to deal with any country that recognized East Germany. Party leaders called it appeasement. | The policy was at first denounced by the conservative Christian Democratic Union, which governed West Germany for most of its first 20 years and which refused to deal with any country that recognized East Germany. Party leaders called it appeasement. |
| But in the 1980s, back in power under Helmut Kohl, who was then chancellor, the Christian Democrats saw the policy through and ultimately achieved its aim. | But in the 1980s, back in power under Helmut Kohl, who was then chancellor, the Christian Democrats saw the policy through and ultimately achieved its aim. |
| Mr. Bahr’s moment had arrived two decades earlier, in 1966, when Mr. Brandt, the longtime Social Democratic mayor of embattled West Berlin and later the party leader, was appointed foreign minister in a coalition government. He made Mr. Bahr, his mayoral press secretary, the chief of planning in the foreign office. Three years later, when Mr. Brandt became chancellor, he named Mr. Bahr his chief of staff and a ranking member of his brain trust. | Mr. Bahr’s moment had arrived two decades earlier, in 1966, when Mr. Brandt, the longtime Social Democratic mayor of embattled West Berlin and later the party leader, was appointed foreign minister in a coalition government. He made Mr. Bahr, his mayoral press secretary, the chief of planning in the foreign office. Three years later, when Mr. Brandt became chancellor, he named Mr. Bahr his chief of staff and a ranking member of his brain trust. |
| Mr. Bahr was convinced that the key to unification lay in Moscow, and his first step under Chancellor Brandt was to open talks with the Soviet Union on a treaty renouncing the use of force between Germans and Russians. The meetings began in January 1970. | Mr. Bahr was convinced that the key to unification lay in Moscow, and his first step under Chancellor Brandt was to open talks with the Soviet Union on a treaty renouncing the use of force between Germans and Russians. The meetings began in January 1970. |
| He also began talks with the East German Communists that led to a transit agreement. Then, in December 1972, he successfully negotiated a treaty between East and West Germany on governing a divided Berlin, rounding out an agreement signed four months earlier by the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France. | He also began talks with the East German Communists that led to a transit agreement. Then, in December 1972, he successfully negotiated a treaty between East and West Germany on governing a divided Berlin, rounding out an agreement signed four months earlier by the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France. |
| Mr. Bahr left the government in May 1974, when Mr. Brandt resigned after the arrest of his personal secretary as a Communist spy. But a few months later Helmut Schmidt, the new Social Democratic chancellor, appointed Mr. Bahr minister for economic cooperation with developing countries. | Mr. Bahr left the government in May 1974, when Mr. Brandt resigned after the arrest of his personal secretary as a Communist spy. But a few months later Helmut Schmidt, the new Social Democratic chancellor, appointed Mr. Bahr minister for economic cooperation with developing countries. |
| Henry A. Kissinger, the former secretary of state, said of Mr. Bahr in 1992, “I know of no politician who possesses better analytical abilities.” For the German-born Mr. Kissinger, Mr. Bahr remained “an old-fashioned German nationalist.” | Henry A. Kissinger, the former secretary of state, said of Mr. Bahr in 1992, “I know of no politician who possesses better analytical abilities.” For the German-born Mr. Kissinger, Mr. Bahr remained “an old-fashioned German nationalist.” |
| Many conservative West Germans felt otherwise. Angered by his give-and-take with the Communist bloc, they accused him of treason, a charge that he said wounded him deeply. | |
| The divisions that Mr. Bahr had helped sow between right and left in Germany were reflected in the tributes paid after his death was announced. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, who is chairman of the Social Democratic Party, used terms like “courageous” and “upright” in describing Mr. Bahr as “the architect of German unity, a politician who worked for peace.” | The divisions that Mr. Bahr had helped sow between right and left in Germany were reflected in the tributes paid after his death was announced. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, who is chairman of the Social Democratic Party, used terms like “courageous” and “upright” in describing Mr. Bahr as “the architect of German unity, a politician who worked for peace.” |
| Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign minister and a Social Democrat, said, “Only a few politicians are blessed to change the world with an idea, and to live long enough to experience how that idea becomes reality.” | Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign minister and a Social Democrat, said, “Only a few politicians are blessed to change the world with an idea, and to live long enough to experience how that idea becomes reality.” |
| By contrast, a statement from Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, limited her statement largely to a list of posts Mr. Bahr had held. She said he would be remembered as a politician who had put his stamp on his era. | By contrast, a statement from Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, limited her statement largely to a list of posts Mr. Bahr had held. She said he would be remembered as a politician who had put his stamp on his era. |
| Egon Karlheinz Bahr, an only child, was born on March 18, 1922, in Treffurt, a small town in central Germany. His father, Karl, a high school teacher, was dismissed from his job when the Nazi authorities learned that the mother of his wife, Hedwig, was Jewish. | |
| The family moved to Berlin, where Egon was denied admission to a university to study music. Nevertheless, years later, he recalled being “thrilled” as a teenager by Hitler’s military successes. | |
| Called up for military duty in 1942, he was assigned to the Luftwaffe. But when it was discovered that he had a Jewish grandmother, he was discharged in 1944, and his rank as officer cadet was erased. He ended the war as a factory office worker while his father, refusing to leave his half-Jewish wife, was forced into labor. Still, Mr. Bahr said of that period more than 40 years later, “I never stopped being a patriot.” | |
| After the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945, Mr. Bahr became a reporter for the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper. He soon quit when it was taken over by the Communist authorities and was then hired by Allegemeine Zeitung, an American-licensed paper. Though his political leanings were liberal, he went on to join the conservative Tagesspiegel, which in 1949 sent him to report from Bonn, the new West German capital. | |
| Later he became the chief editor of RIAS, the American government’s radio service aimed at the 17 million Germans in the Soviet-occupied zone. He came to think of himself, he said, not as a conquered German but as a liberated German determined to gain equal treatment for all Germans ultimately through reunification. “As long as Germany is divided, we are not a nation,” he said at the time. | Later he became the chief editor of RIAS, the American government’s radio service aimed at the 17 million Germans in the Soviet-occupied zone. He came to think of himself, he said, not as a conquered German but as a liberated German determined to gain equal treatment for all Germans ultimately through reunification. “As long as Germany is divided, we are not a nation,” he said at the time. |
| His hopes of seeing Communism rolled back were dashed, however, when East Germany, with Moscow’s blessing, began sealing off its borders and building a wall through the middle of Berlin. And when the Western allies responded weakly to that provocation, he despaired, concluding, “Nobody is going to help us Germans if we don’t help ourselves.” | His hopes of seeing Communism rolled back were dashed, however, when East Germany, with Moscow’s blessing, began sealing off its borders and building a wall through the middle of Berlin. And when the Western allies responded weakly to that provocation, he despaired, concluding, “Nobody is going to help us Germans if we don’t help ourselves.” |
| By this time, in 1961, he was the chief political adviser, speechwriter and press spokesman for Mr. Brandt, then the mayor of West Berlin. Two years later, in a controversial speech, Mr. Bahr articulated his concept of “change through contact” in dealing with East Germany and the Soviet Union. | By this time, in 1961, he was the chief political adviser, speechwriter and press spokesman for Mr. Brandt, then the mayor of West Berlin. Two years later, in a controversial speech, Mr. Bahr articulated his concept of “change through contact” in dealing with East Germany and the Soviet Union. |
| The reaction was largely hostile. Christian Democrats accused him of abandoning the united front against Communism that political parties of all stripes in West Germany had presented. Even leaders of his own party criticized him. | The reaction was largely hostile. Christian Democrats accused him of abandoning the united front against Communism that political parties of all stripes in West Germany had presented. Even leaders of his own party criticized him. |
| Nevertheless, Mr. Brandt and Mr. Bahr laid out a series of small, practical steps to open barriers between East and West Germany in areas like transportation, communication and trade, and to allow family members to visit one another across the Berlin Wall. | Nevertheless, Mr. Brandt and Mr. Bahr laid out a series of small, practical steps to open barriers between East and West Germany in areas like transportation, communication and trade, and to allow family members to visit one another across the Berlin Wall. |
| Working from the mayor’s office, they were limited in what they could accomplish, but by 1964 they had established contacts with the East German Communists, and Mr. Bahr had opened lines of communication with Soviet diplomats, winning the approval of the Christian Democratic Union government in Bonn and of the three Western allies still responsible for West Berlin. | Working from the mayor’s office, they were limited in what they could accomplish, but by 1964 they had established contacts with the East German Communists, and Mr. Bahr had opened lines of communication with Soviet diplomats, winning the approval of the Christian Democratic Union government in Bonn and of the three Western allies still responsible for West Berlin. |
| The first fruit of the “small steps” was an agreement on passes permitting 1.2 million visits by West Berliners to relatives in East Berlin. Its success inspired Mr. Bahr to pursue a larger vision of reducing East-West tensions, and when Mr. Brandt was elevated to the federal chancellorship in 1969, Mr. Bahr was able to begin putting their ideas into action, ultimately as minister for special affairs, a cabinet post. | The first fruit of the “small steps” was an agreement on passes permitting 1.2 million visits by West Berliners to relatives in East Berlin. Its success inspired Mr. Bahr to pursue a larger vision of reducing East-West tensions, and when Mr. Brandt was elevated to the federal chancellorship in 1969, Mr. Bahr was able to begin putting their ideas into action, ultimately as minister for special affairs, a cabinet post. |
| He continued to press for reunification after Mr. Brandt’s resignation in 1974, remaining in the cabinet for two years under Mr. Brandt’s successor, Mr. Schmidt. And he continued to hold top leadership posts in the Social Democratic Party after Mr. Schmidt was driven from office by a coalition of Free Democrats and Christian Democrats. | |
| At a time when the Germanys were still divided by concrete and barbed-wire barriers and minefields, Mr. Bahr was the principal organizer of direct discussion about arms reduction between Social Democrats and the East German Communist Party. The talks continued almost until the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. | At a time when the Germanys were still divided by concrete and barbed-wire barriers and minefields, Mr. Bahr was the principal organizer of direct discussion about arms reduction between Social Democrats and the East German Communist Party. The talks continued almost until the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. |
| Mr. Bahr continued to hold a parliamentary seat as his party faltered, reduced to the role of the opposition to Helmut Kohl and the Christian Democratic Union for 16 years. The breaching of the Berlin Wall caught him by surprise. As late as September 1989, he recalled, he never imagined the wall would fall two months later, and after it did, it was Mr. Kohl, the conservative, who presided over reunification and became the reconstituted Germany’s first chancellor in an election landslide. | Mr. Bahr continued to hold a parliamentary seat as his party faltered, reduced to the role of the opposition to Helmut Kohl and the Christian Democratic Union for 16 years. The breaching of the Berlin Wall caught him by surprise. As late as September 1989, he recalled, he never imagined the wall would fall two months later, and after it did, it was Mr. Kohl, the conservative, who presided over reunification and became the reconstituted Germany’s first chancellor in an election landslide. |
| Mr. Bahr gave up his seat in the Bundestag in 1990 and then wrote and lectured, publishing his memoirs in 1996. He was director of the Institute for Peace Studies at the University of Hamburg for 10 years and was named an honorary citizen of Berlin in 2002. | Mr. Bahr gave up his seat in the Bundestag in 1990 and then wrote and lectured, publishing his memoirs in 1996. He was director of the Institute for Peace Studies at the University of Hamburg for 10 years and was named an honorary citizen of Berlin in 2002. |
| Complete information on his survivors was not immediately available. Online biographies said he was married three times and had three children. His survivors include his wife, Adelheid, The Associated Press reported. | Complete information on his survivors was not immediately available. Online biographies said he was married three times and had three children. His survivors include his wife, Adelheid, The Associated Press reported. |
| A German nationalist to the end, Mr. Bahr held fast to one other vision: that a reunited Germany not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Though he opposed neutrality, he was wary of seeing Germany’s security inextricably linked to that of the United States. That was not to be. Germany became the closest of American allies, and Mr. Bahr’s preferred alternative, an “all-European security system,” receded to a distant horizon. | A German nationalist to the end, Mr. Bahr held fast to one other vision: that a reunited Germany not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Though he opposed neutrality, he was wary of seeing Germany’s security inextricably linked to that of the United States. That was not to be. Germany became the closest of American allies, and Mr. Bahr’s preferred alternative, an “all-European security system,” receded to a distant horizon. |