Allied Travel Office

The Allied Travel Office ( ATO, also Allied Travel Board ) was an authority of the three western occupation powers USA , England and France , which was responsible for issuing travel documents for travel by citizens of the GDR to states that did not recognize the GDR under international law.

authority

The authority had its seat at Elßholzstrasse 32 in Berlin-Schöneberg in the rear part of the building of the former Prussian chamber court , in which the Allied Control Council was located after 1945 .

politics

The policy of non-recognition of the GDR ( Hallstein Doctrine ) also referred to the recognition of GDR passports, so until 1970 every GDR citizen needed a so-called "Temporary Travel Document" (TTD) in order to be able to travel to western countries. The allocation of TTDs followed political guidelines and was an extremely effective instrument for controlling GDR activities abroad. The NATO Political Council voted on the allocation of TTDs to high representatives of the GDR .

The award was linked to and dependent on answering questions. The decision about the award took several weeks, this delay was a particular hindrance when planning a trip abroad. Trade officials could easily get permits, while officials, artists or athletes were refused entry. Even the slightest suspicion that the trip was politically motivated was enough for refusal.

resolution

On March 26, 1970, the Allied Travel Office repealed the regulation for the issuing of “Temporary Travel Documents” for citizens of the GDR in NATO countries.

Examples of rejected TTD

1963 Artist of the Berliner Ensemble (London guest performance)
1964 Manfred von Ardenne (attending a conference in Toronto )
1969 Eberhard Bartke (opening of an exhibition by Achim Kühn in Paris )
1961/1962 national team of the GDR for the international six-day race

literature

Henning Hoff: Great Britain and the GDR 1955–1973: Diplomacy in a roundabout way . Munich 2003, p. 19. GoogleBooks
Joachim Nawrocki : What was left of the Control Council. The work of the Allied Travel Office and the Aviation Security Center . In: The time . No. 9 , 1970 ( zeit.de ).
Berlin / Travelboard: Wind away . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 1969 ( online ).

Individual evidence

↑ Berlin / Travelboard: Wind gone . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 1969 ( online ).
↑ 1971 . Walter de Gruyter, 2002, ISBN 978-3-486-71816-4 , p. 370 ( google.de [accessed June 23, 2017]).
↑ Berlin barriers . In: The time . No. 14 , 1970 ( zeit.de ).

52.492266 13.356918Coordinates: 52 ° 29 '32.16 " N , 13 ° 21' 24.9" E

[1] Berlin / Travelboard: Wind gone . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 1969 ( online ).

[2] 1971 . Walter de Gruyter, 2002, ISBN 978-3-486-71816-4 , p. 370 ( google.de [accessed June 23, 2017]).

[3] Berlin barriers . In: The time . No. 14 , 1970 ( zeit.de ).