NID: EAST GERMANY: SEEKING FRESH POLICY OPTIONS

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe: A 30-Year Legacy
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06826745
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 26, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2019
• Publication Date: June 26, 1989

Approved for Release: 2019/10/29 C06826745
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EAST GERMANY: Seeking Fresh Policy Options
Some East German Politburo members have become alarmed about
East Germans' growing popular restiveness and about sluggish
economic growth. they tasked East
Berlin's Humboldt University last month to draft proposals for new
economic policies and increased popular political participation. The
.equesters reportedly did not include Politburo hardliners like Egon
Krenz, the leading contender to succeed party boss Erich Honecker.
Comment: Turning to the university, a relatively independent
organization, rather than party-dominated think tanks suggests
he Politburo group recognizes the need for fresh solutions. The
ieadership is concerned about political turmoil in Eastern Europe,
:ncreasingly open domestic protests, and the widening gap between
East and West German living standards. The move to explore new
options probably has Honecker's approval, but proposals for more
than modest reforms are unlikely to win the hardliners' support.
6
TCS 2847/89
26 June 1989
Approved for Release: 2019/10/29 C06826745