Editorial Note
In a memorandum of September 10 to Policy Planning Staff Director Kennan, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs George W. Perkins raised the question as to how long and to what extent the United States Government could tolerate the ill treatment of its alien employees in missions in the Communist-dominated states of Eastern Europe. The question raised by Perkins was considered at the 140th Meeting of the Policy Planning Staff on September 19 at which were present representatives of the Office of European Affairs and other interested Department officers. It was decided that a study would be undertaken to determine the extent it might be possible to restrict the size of American missions in Eastern Europe. During the meeting Director Kennan expressed the opinion that it might prove necessary to close one or more of the missions entirely if their continued maintenance required too large a staff. (PPS Files, Lot 64 D 563, PPS Minutes) At the Under Secretary’s Meeting of October 17, Secretary of State Acheson heard oral reports from the geographic bureau heads. In his report, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Llewellyn E. Thompson included a comment on the unfavorable and unpleasant treatment being accorded to American missions in Eastern Europe. Thompson suggested that it might prove necessary to withdraw some American staff. Secretary Acheson asked about the possibility of retaliation, and Thompson replied that the American staffs were not large [Page 27] and there was not much retaliation that could be carried out, (Under Secretary’s Meetings, Lot 53 D 250) The question of American personnel in the Eastern European countries was subsequently discussed at the Secretary of State’s Daily Staff Meeting on October 26. Policy Planning Staff Director Kennan suggested that a study be undertaken of the entire question of what personnel should be maintained in Eastern Europe. Kennan suggested that it might prove possible to reduce mission staffs to those persons included on the diplomatic list. In Kennan’s view the situation of the missions in Eastern Europe had been made more acute by the insistence of the Department of Justice on the arrest and prosecution of Communists in the United States, Deputy Under Secretary of State Dean Rusk stated at this meeting that he would arrange for the preparation of a paper for presentation to the National Security Council so that a governmental position on the question could be arrived at. (Secretary’s Daily Meetings, Lot 58 D 609)