Many contemporaries considered both German states as temporary arrangements. In 1952, there appeared a chance of reunifi cation and towards the end of the year a debate started whether Stalin’s note, dated 10 March 1952, which contained a proposal to create a united and neutral Germany was a real alternative. The files of the Soviet leadership, which were first analysed by the author, provide a clear answer: Stalin’s proposal was a manoeuvre against the rearmament of West Germany. Till the end of the “battle of notes”, the Soviet Union was not ready for a policy of neutrality even in relation to Austria. Thanks to the presented documents, the long-standing dispute over Stalin’s note is now settled.