740.00119 Control (Hungary)/1–1946: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:37 p.m.]
183. Redeptel 2411, November 28.8 Following letter dated January 17 received from Dekanozov:9
“As regards Ambassador Harriman’s letter of December 6, 1945 concerning entry into Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria of members of US Military and Civilian Missions in these countries,10 I am able to state following:
“According to information received from Soviet representatives ACC’s concerned, there have been no instances in which US officials who were members of staffs of US military and civilian representatives in Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary have been denied entry into given country of appointment.
“With regard to cases cited in Mr. Harriman’s letter, following is known to Peoples Commissariat:
“Request for permission to enter Hungary for three officers of American Army and two civilian officials, coming to Budapest for purposes of carrying on negotiations about clearance of Danube, was not granted because Soviet occupation authorities had themselves already organized clearance of Danube on territory of Hungary, and accordingly no necessity was perceived for conducting special negotiations with these persons or for receiving their advice.
“Arrival in Hungary of Lieutenant Cdr [Commander] Reitzel and his group appeared superfluous for reason that question of supplying members of American Mission in Hungary, which was purpose of his journey to Budapest, was satisfactorily solved in Hungary itself. Furthermore, American Mission is being additionally supplied by provisions delivered by airplanes from abroad.
“Similarly there was no foundation for entry of Lieutenant Colonel Willcox, who intended to carry on negotiations with Hungarian Government on fuel questions, because American Mission on ACC in Hungary could itself carry on such negotiations through appropriate Soviet representatives on ACC.
“It follows from above that few cases cited in Mr. Harriman’s letter of negative decisions on question of entry into Budapest of several American officials concerned only those among them who are not members of military or civilian missions in Hungary. Together with this, it cannot but be admitted that numerous cases of applications by American representatives on ACC in these countries to Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of ACC for permission for entry of considerable [Page 254] number of American Military and civilian persons have received positive treatment and were decided upon favorably.”
As Department will note Dekanozov’s reply begs the question but before replying we would appreciate receiving comments of Department and Missions in countries involved. Department please repeat to Vienna, Budapest, Sofia and Bucharest.11
- Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. iv, p. 913.↩
- Vladimir Georgyevich Dekanozov, Assistant People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union.↩
- Ambassador Harriman’s letter of December 6, 1945, was delivered in pursuance of the instructions in telegram 2411, November 28, to Moscow.↩
- Text of this telegram was repeated by the Department on January 26 to Budapest, Sofia, and Bucharest, as telegrams 96, 24, and 56, respectively (740.00119 Control (Hungary)/1–1946).↩