861.01B11/153
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Eastern European Affairs (Bohlen)
During his call this afternoon Mr. Bazykin, First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy, said that he believed that Mr. Zubilin8 had spoken to me about having the registration of Kravchenko as a Soviet official canceled. I repeated what I had said to Mr. Zubilin that if the Soviet Government would send us a short notification to the effect that Kravchenko was no longer a member of the Soviet Purchasing Commission or an employee of the Soviet Government, he would be dropped from the registration lists.
Mr. Bazykin then said that he hoped that we would deport Kravchenko. I inquired whether Mr. Bazykin was making a request for such proceedings on behalf of the Soviet Government. He quickly replied “no”, he was merely making a personal observation.
I told him that without being familiar with the law on the subject I was sure that the case of Mr. Kravchenko would be considered in conformity with American law and practice in such cases. Of course, if a request for deportation was received from the Soviet Government the matter would be given the most careful consideration, I told him. [Page 1227] I added as a personal opinion that I understood that in cases of this kind automatic deportation proceedings were not instituted unless the individual in question had committed some act contrary to American law.
Mr. Bazykin did not pursue the matter further beyond reiterating that he was not making any such request.
- Vasily Mikhailovich Zubilin, Second Secretary of the Soviet Embassy.↩