ABSTRACT
In a democratic state, public opinion is one of the principal variables that affect the formulation and implementation of public policy. An analysis of West German public opinion in reference to the major national security issues raised by US forces on German soil is essential to an understanding of the complex political relationship between the United States and the Federal Republic. The West Germans disagree on many important aspects of their political association with the United States. The West Germans have many more US troops in their midst than do any other European people, and they live in the closest proximity to the large concentration of Soviet troops in East Germany. With nineteen Soviet divisions stationed next door in East Germany, most concerned West German citizens must from time to time worry about the possibility of a world conflagration if Soviet troops were to cross the border or if a nuclear weapon should be fired from West Germany.
