Preface
Charles Maier, Harvard University
Introduction and Acknowledgements
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Chronology of Events

PART ONE
THE ORIGINS OF THE CRISIS

Introduction
Document No. 1: Soviet and East German Minutes of Conversations between Josef Stalin and SED Leaders, 1 April and 7 April, 1952.

Document No. 2: CPSU CC Resolution Approving the Deployment of Border Guards along the Eastern Border of the GDR, 2 January, 1953

Document No. 3: Memorandum of Discussion at the 136th Meeting of the National Security Council, 11 March, 1953

Document No. 4: Draft Instructions for General Vasilii Chuikov and Vladimir Semyonov regarding GDR Control of Borders, 18 March, 1953

Document No. 5: Memorandum by Ivan Tugarinov, “On the Western Powers’ Policy regarding the German Question,” 18 April, 1953

Document No. 6: Memorandum on the German Question, from Georgii Pushkin and Mikhail Gribanov to Vyacheslav Molotov, 18 April, 1953

Document No.7: Soviet Foreign Ministry Memorandum, “Regarding Further Measures of the Soviet Government on the German Question,” 28 April, 1953

Document No. 8: Cable from N. Spencer Barnes to U.S. Department of State Reviewing Developments in the GDR since Stalin’s Death, 30 April, 1953

Document No. 9: Memorandum from Vladimir Semyonov to Vyacheslav Molotov Evaluating the Prospects for a Successful Resolution of the German Question, 2 May, 1953

Document No. 10: Report on 4 May Disturbances at the Tobacco Depot in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 7 May, 1953

Document No. 11: USSR Foreign Ministry Draft Memorandum, “On Further Soviet Government Measures Pertaining to the German Question,” 8 May, 1953

Document No.12: Memorandum from the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs, to Vladimir Semyonov, “On the Question of Preventing the Defection of Inhabitants from the GDR to West Germany,” 15 May, 1953

Document No. 13: Memorandum from General Vasilii Chuikov, Pavel Yudin, and Ivan Il’ichev to Georgii Malenkov Critically Assessing the Situation in the GDR, 18 May, 1953

Document No.14: CIA Report Evaluating Vladimir Semyonov’s Appointment as Soviet High Commissioner for Germany, 29 May, 1953

Document No. 15: Cable from Ambassador Charles Bohlen to John Foster Dulles regarding the Transfer of Soviet Control in East Germany to Soviet High Commissioner Vladimir Semyonov, 29 May, 1953

Document No.16: Materials for a Meeting of the Organizational Secretariat of the CPCz CC, with Attached Report on Party Activities in Plzeň in Connection with the Events of 1 June 1953, 31 July, 1953

Document No.17: Radio Free Europe Report on the Strikes in Plzeň during Early June 1953, 8 September, 1953

Document No.18: USSR Council of Ministers Order “On Measures to Improve the Health of the Political Situation in the GDR,” 2 June, 1953

Document No.19: Otto Grotewohl’s Notes of Meetings between East German and Soviet Leaders in Moscow, 2-4 June, 1953

Document No. 20: SED CC Politburo Minutes Discussing Moscow’s Directives for the New Course, 6 June, 1953

Document No.21: Cable from Samuel Reber to U.S. Department of State Outlining U.S. Perspectives on Four-Power Talks, 13 June, 1953

Document No.22: Transcript of Conversations between the Soviet Leadership and a Hungarian Workers’ Party Delegation in Moscow, 13 and 16 June, 1953

Document No. 23: Letter from Lavrentii Beria to Georgii Malenkov Reflecting on the Events of Spring 1953, 1 July, 1953

Document No. 24: Transcript of the CPSU CC Plenum Meetings Regarding Beria’s Views on the German Question in Spring 1953, 2-3 July, 1953 (Excerpts)

PART TWO
THE UPRISING

Introduction
Document No.25: Situation Report from Vladimir Semyonov and Andrei Grechko to Vyacheslav Molotov ....