The work of the EKD Council in 1952 was overshadowed by the General Treaty between the Federal Republic and the Western occupying powers. The sharp debate about this agreement presented the EKD with a crucial test, although without the widely feared split between opponents and supporters of the western orientation. After the conclusion of the General Treaty in May 1952 and the associated increasing repression of the GDR against church officials and private individuals, the debates about the foreign policy orientation of the Federal Republic receded into the background. The pragmatic handling of the Council with the new political situation in Germany is documented in the seven minutes of the Council meetings, which are extensively commented on and supplemented by documents.