British Archives: London was opposed to NATO enlargement

A new document was recently extracted from British archives. It is dated 6 March 1991 and comes from a file on the negotiations between the United Kingdom, Germany and France. It slightly precedes the “Wolfowitz doctrine”, which marked the penetration of the Straussians into the upper echelons of the US administration.

It highlights:
– the opposition of John Major’s government to requests for NATO membership and security guarantees from Eastern European countries (Poland, Hungary and others);
– Germany’s commitments during the negotiations for its reunification not to extend NATO east of the Elbe;
– the Major government’s refusal to have NATO ensure peace in Eastern Europe, despite its fear of possible wars between the countries of the East, as well as to foment a spirit of revenge in Russia.

The paper advises against discussing with the countries of Eastern Europe as a group, promoting the development of bilateral relations. It advocates for the adoption of bilateral discussion structures and the negotiation of bilateral treaties that include elements of non-aggression.