Innsbruck, January 2, 1970
The Unsolved German Question
Although the world outside Germany never had much confidence in reunification, it completely lost credibility after the invasion of Czechoslovakia.
January 15, 1970
The dilemma of the German situation has again surfaced these days: On the one side, it is generally admitted that there is no prospect for reunification , while on the other, recognition of the DDR (East Germany) as a separate state, according to international law, has been persistently refused. As a result, a mutual understanding between the two German states, or the solution of the German question remains postponed to an unforeseeable future.
Innsbruck, January 20, 1970
The Crazy America
After having been absent from the United States for only a few months, the image of America is getting distorted. This is due to a great extent to the influence of the mass media. Opening any newspaper, one is surprised again and again to come across a section about the crazy America. Captions in bold print read, for example: “America’s ghettoes are hotbeds for revolutionary ideas,” “American billionaire wants to buy the whole Liechtenstein Castle,” “Nine million American women take the pill,” “American nun is riding on a motor scooter through the hallways of a high school in Chicago,” etc. Considering that reports of this kind appear every day in the European press, radio and television, it is small wonder that Europeans have developed an image of America, which can hardly be outdone by its grotesqueness, craziness and abnormality. The awareness is being lost that there is also a normal way of life in America.
Innsbruck, January 24, 1970
Anti-Americanism
Anti-Americanism is a worldwide phenomenon that even applies to the best friends of America. In part, this phenomenon of our time has detached itself from America and has become an entity of its own. Basically, it is the revolt against the modern technological world, against consumerism and conformity, for which America has become the dominant symbol. Everywhere in the world where a four-lane highway is constructed, a new airport built, or a new super market opened, inevitably ways of life are created that were first developed in America and then in part adopted from there. Anti-Americanism has manyfold historical, political and cultural roots, but it is essentially caused by fears of an unstoppable progressing technicalization of modem life.
Innsbruck, [End of January], 1970
Nixon’s Message to the World
President Nixon’s State of the Union Address, a 19 page report submitted to Congress, is without a doubt for years the most important foreign policy message, which the White House has given to the world. It formulates the so-called Nixon Doctrine:
1. Shifting the emphasis of American foreign policy from Asia to Europe.
2. Introducing a more matter-of-fact, pragmatic foreign policy that serves the national self-interest.
3. Détente with the Soviet Union in regard to the limitation of strategic arms.
4. Renouncing American predominance, instead calling for partnership with the allies in Europe.
However, Europe is not ready as yet for a partnership because its defense is overwhelmingly dependent on the United States.