German Democratic Republic (GDR): Relations between the German Democratic Republic and Federal Republic of Germany: Elbe Frontier

A file of correspondence and reports concerning the borders of Germany. The documents cover a long-running dispute over the demarcation of the inner-German border on a stretch of the River Elbe between Schnackenburg and Lauenburg; West German claims that the border line is on the eastern bank of the Elbe; and East German claims that the border runs down the middle of the river. Other documents in the file cover West German press reports on the work of the East German-West German Border Commission; West German claims that the Allies are responsible for the demarcation of the German borders; and discussions over the legal aspects of Allied and four-power responsibilities. The file also covers a French paper that asserts that the rights to the demarcation of borders is reserved to the Allied powers under a 1954 convention; and the British position that the British government no longer considers itself competent in addressing the issue of borders.