ABSTRACT
The progressive development of United States-Soviet detente in the late 1960s and early 1970s represents an important element in the tapestry of American foreign relations upon which an understanding of German-American relations must be based. The Administration had to attempt to placate the German Government and mitigate popular fears of massive withdrawal by offering the best justification possible. The deteriorating American balance payments position in the late 1960s helped to fuel an ever widening divergence between the German and American sides. The German Government worried that an increased nuclear capability in Germany might lead to a decoupling of Europe from the larger American strategic deterrent. The German government, the press, and public at large watched with feelings ranging from discomfort to despair as many of the problems of American forces in Vietnam were transferred to the European arena. In the town of Neu-Ulm a similar situation led to a flood of protests by various German groups to American military authorities.
