![Restricted Zones SOXMIS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Restricted_Zones_SOXMIS.svg)
The military liaison missions arose from reciprocal agreements formed between the Western allied nations (the US, the UK, and France) and the USSR shortly after the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The missions were active from 1946 until 1990.
The agreements between the allied nations and the Soviet Union permitted the deployment of small numbers of
military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
personnel – together with associated support staff – in each other's territory in Germany, ostensibly for the purposes of monitoring and furthering better relationships between the Soviet and Western occupation forces. The British, French, and American missions matched the size of the counterpart Soviet missions into West Germany (the nominal post-war British, French, and American zones of occupations). The MLMs also played an intelligence-gathering role. The MLM teams were based in West Berlin but started their "tours" from the national mission houses in
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
in matte-olive-drab heavy cars. The Mission teams on a tour frequently comprised one officer accompanied by an
NCO and a driver.
The missions persisted throughout the Cold War period and ended in 1990 just prior to
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
. The missions were
* British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (
BRIXMIS
The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS) was a military liaison mission which operated behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany during the Cold War.
BRIXMIS existed from 1946 – shortly after the end of t ...
)
* ''La Mission Militaire Francaise de Liaison'' (MMFL)
* U.S. Military Liaison Mission (USMLM)
and their reciprocal Soviet missions (SOXMIS/SMLM).
The British–Soviet missions were the first to be established (16 September 1946) under the terms of the Robertson–Malinin Agreement (the respective commanders-in-chief). It also had the largest contingent of personnel with 31 accredited team members. Later agreements with the US (Huebner–Malinin, March 1947) and France (Noiret–Malinin, April 1947) had significantly fewer permitted personnel, possibly because the Allied powers did not want large Soviet missions operating in their zones and vice versa.
![Missions_prohibited_sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Missions_prohibited_sign.jpg)
The Allied liaison missions, having quasi
diplomatic status, were relatively free to roam around
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
save for specifically designated permanent and temporary restricted areas. They were largely 'untouchable' either by the law or military personnel. However a small number of team members were injured or killed in accidents or 'incidents' which gave rise to significant military and political tensions.
Little is publicly documented about the Soviet missions.
Although not widely known to the general public, the MLMs played a significant intelligence-gathering role during the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. They also had a significant role in confirming that preparations for offensive action were not under way, thus reducing tension.
Probably the most notable incident involving the American MLM was the death of Major
Arthur D. Nicholson
Arthur D. Nicholson Jr. (7 June 1947 – 24 March 1985) was a United States Army military intelligence officer shot by a Soviet sentry while engaged in intelligence-gathering activities as part of an authorized military liaison mission which oper ...
, a U.S. MLM Tour Officer. He was killed on March 23, 1985, shot by Soviet Army Sergeant Aleksandr Ryabtsev, and was considered the last American casualty of the Cold War, and the only U.S. MLM Officer to die in the course of duty, though other British and French tour personnel had died earlier. After the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
fell in 1989, Nicholson's death was honored on the floor of both houses of the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, with a speech that was read into the official record.
[http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/42385d.htm]
See also
*
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Pe ...
References
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External links
Coldwarspies.com We Kept the Cold War Cool
Western Allies Berlin siteAllied MLM @ Parallel History ProjectAllied Museum BerlinOral histories of the Allies Military liaison missions from the Cold War Conversations podcastBRIXMIS AssociationBRIXMIS displayat the Military Intelligence Museum, Chicksands.
MMFL AssociationUSMLM AssociationHistory of the USMLM
USMLM research (honors thesis) by Anya Vodopyanov Part 1an
Part 2Lectureby Stephen V. Hoyt, ''Cold War Pioneers: The U.S. Military Liaison Mission, 1947–1990''.
Photos taken in East Germany while serving with USMLM
{{Authority control
Espionage
Surveillance
Military history of East Germany
Military units and formations established in 1946
1990 disestablishments
Foreign relations of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union–United States relations
Cold War
Military diplomacy