X-post: H-German
I was very interested to read the message from Sabine Vogel about the "famous carpet" on the Petersberg. When I was doing dissertation research in Bonn, Daniel Kosthorst, author of a recent book on Heinrich von Brentano, who was working at that time on the "Akten zur Auswaertigen Politik der BRD," told me that the AA had tried and failed to track down the carpet for the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn, and speculated that it had been "thrown out" during renovations. I had no idea about the possibility that it had been auctioned. Good luck with the search.
On the historical question of Adenauer's intentions, I think there is little doubt that Adenauer was fully aware of the symbolic importance of his few extra steps across the room at the Petersberg. His action was a direct contradiction of the protocol laid out by the High Commission, according to which Adenauer as newly elected Chancellor was supposed to wait off the carpet, listen to a speech from the Chair of the High Commission, and then be handed a copy of the Occupation Statute. Instead, he stepped directly onto the carpet after listening to the Commission's welcome and read a brief statement about his government's plans for cooperation with the Allies. The memoirs/diary of Adenauer's foreign policy adviser Herbert Blankenhorn (Verstaendnis und Verstaendigung, pp. 62-63) suggest that the French High Commissioner, Andre Francois-Poncet, made a face at Adenauer's presumption, but did not stop him, and that the Chancellor's forthright bearing and statement changed the tenor of the meeting. Instead of simply receiving the occupation statute, Adenauer made a clear statement about his government's intention of being treated as an (eventual) equal partner. Apparently, the planned official presentation of the Occupation Statute was scratched, the delegations went right on to a reception, and Blankenhorn was handed the official copy as an afterthought as the German delegation left.
I discussed this incident, which shows up in all the literature, in some detail in my dissertation, and believe that it is an important opening salvo in Adenauer's struggle to transform the BRD from a Western dependency to a partner. I would be curious to hear any other comments.
Ronald Granieri
Furman University
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