711.4027/10–148: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Bliss) to the Secretary of State
secret urgent
London, October 1,
1948—6 p. m.
4340. Following verbatim text Foreign Office reply aide-mémoire re satellite civil aviation policy:
- “1. His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs1
present his compliments to the United States Chargé
d’Affaires and with reference to the aide-mémoire left at the Foreign Office on the
19th July last,2 regarding new civil aviation
policy towards the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and
its satellities, has the honour to inform him that the
competent authorities of His Majesty’s Government have given
the proposals of the United States Government their most
careful consideration.
- 2. With regard to the proposal that all operations by the
airlines of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its
satellites into non-Curtain territory should be prohibited
until the Soviet Government grant truly reciprocal rights in
Soviet territory, His Majesty’s Government fully share the
United States Government’s desire for the ultimate objective
of securing ingress into the USSR itself. They find it
difficult, however, to believe that the restrictions
proposed would achieve this result in view of the determined
opposition of the Soviet Government to the flights of
foreign aircraft over Soviet territory (including those of
their own satellites) and of their highly restrictive policy
with regard to internal civil aviation.
- 3. His Majesty’s Government have carefully studied the
arguments of the United States Government regarding the
advantages of adopting the proposed policy on political and
security grounds even if it failed to achieve the ultimate
objective of ingress into the USSR, but they regret that
they do not share the United States Government’s assessment
of the relative importance of these factors. If this policy
were adopted, the United Kingdom would have to withdraw
their present service to Prague and almost certainly their
courier service to Warsaw, to the continuance of which they
attach very considerable importance on political grounds.
They are anxious to take all possible measures to penetrate
into satellite territory, and feel that it would have a most
depressing effect on the better disposed elements in both
Czechoslovakia and Poland if they deliberately embarked on a
policy of cutting down the opportunities for intercourse
which these services give. They consider that at a time when
the USSR is having difficulty with the satellites in its
orbit, it would be politic to maintain, and wherever
possible to improve, such lines of contact as exist between
Western Europe and the satellite countries.
- 4. The rights of the occupying powers to operate services
to Berlin by government-owned or controlled aircraft depend
on agreements of a special kind which lie outside the scope
of a policy designed exclusively to restrict commercial
flying, but the Soviet authorities might be prone to
disregard these distinctions and treat the application of
the proposed policy as a pretext for closing or further
interfering with the Berlin air corridors to the three
Western Powers.
- 5. As regards security considerations, His Majesty’s
Government feel that so long as the USSR and its satellites
maintain their present large diplomatic and other staffs in
Western Europe, no great improvement in general security
would result from the prohibition of Soviet controlled
flights outside the Iron Curtain, while from a purely
military point of view, they consider that the advantages to
be gained would be of secondary importance.
- 6. As will be seen from the above, His Majesty’s
Government are hesitant to endorse the proposed policy on
its own merits, and, if it were approved, they feel that the
policy might be extremely difficult to coordinate with the
other countries whose cooperation would be required. While
agreeing with the United States Government that a measure of
effectiveness might be secured without the cooperation of
all the countries whose participation might be desirable,
they feel that it would be essential to secure the
whole-hearted cooperation of at least the main operators of
commercial air services to Eastern Europe, namely, France,
the Netherlands, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries, and
probably also certain of the countries of the Middle East.
They believe that several of these countries attach a degree
of importance to the continued operation of these services
which would preclude their agreeing to adopt this policy,
but they recognize that this must remain a matter of opinion
until put to the test by consultation.
- 7. His Majesty’s Government are most anxious to concert
their policy with the United States Government in a matter
of this nature involving relations with the USSR and its
satellites, and would therefore prefer not to discuss it in
a wider forum until their respective standpoints have been
reconciled. They would be ready to have a further
[Page 469]
exchange of views
should the United States Government consider this to be
advantageous.
- 8. His Majesty’s Government wish, however, to emphasize
that they continue to attach the highest importance to
restricting the operation of Soviet and satellite airlines
to the maximum extent which takes the foregoing factors into
account. Their policy has been to grant to the USSR and its
satellites only the minimum concessions necessary to secure
their own requirements, and they have been successful in
persuading other countries outside the Soviet orbit to
follow the same course: in this they attach particular
importance to the prevention of flights by Soviet and
satellite aircraft to the Middle and Far East.
- 9. His Majesty’s Government are in full agreement with the
United States Government regarding the desirability of
concertino; action with the governments of countries outside
the Iron Curtain in order to prohibit the sale and export to
the USSR and its satellites, either directly or indirectly,
of aircraft and associated equipment and to prevent the use
by their aircraft of facilities for overhaul, refitting and
maintenance. They would welcome further consultation with
the United States Government on means to be employed to
achieve these ends.”
