800.796/640: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
754. 1. The news of our forthcoming exploratory talks with the British concerning postwar civil aviation has leaked to the press and is published in today’s issue of the New York Times whose article [Page 430] contains the following paragraph: “It is understood that the conversations do not include Russia but the hope is voiced that others with Russia will follow. So far the U.S.S.R. has given no hint of her attitude toward participation in a reciprocal world air agreement.”
2. In view of this publicity and in order to avoid speculation the Department is issuing the following statement for release morning papers April 1.
“Mr. Adolf A. Berle, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State, and Mr. Edward Warner, Civil Aeronautics Board, are going to London for an exploratory exchange of views with His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom on civil aviation as a first step towards preliminary international discussion this summer.
It is expected that a group composed of Mr. Joseph C. Grew, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, Mr. L. Welch Pogue, Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Mr. W. A. M. Burden, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Air, and others will conduct similar exploratory conversations with representatives of the U.S.S.R. in Washington within the next fortnight.”
3. The Soviet Ambassador informs us that Major General Petrov and Colonel Berezin expect to arrive in Washington about the middle of April and we expect to hold the exploratory conversations shortly thereafter.