840.00/8–949
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief, Division of Eastern European Affairs ( Salter )
Reference is made to my memorandum of Conversation dated July 15, 1949 with Mr. Feldmans concerning the attitude of the National Committee for Free Europe, Inc. toward the Baltic states.1
During a conversation with me today at the Department the Chargé d’Affaires brought up this subject and asked me whether I could let him have any information. I replied that I understood that one or two Baltic leaders had been in touch with Mr. Poole, Executive Secretary of the Committee, who advised them that at the present time the New York Committee is not actively concerned with the Baltic States. I pointed out that the Committee felt that its hands were already full with its other activities and that, for the present at least, it was not felt practical to widen the scope of the Committee’s work.
Mr. Feldmans thanked me for this information and asked me to keep him informed of any developments that might occur with regard to the New York Committee and the Baltic states.2
- During a visit to the Department of State on July 15, Latvian Chargé Jules Feldmans noted that the announcement of the formation of the National Committee for Free Europe contained no reference to the Baltic States, and he wondered if this indicated whether those states would not be permitted to have any relationship with the Committee. (Memorandum of conversation by Salter, July 15: 840.00/7–1549)↩
- In a note of October 29 to the Secretary of State, not printed, Chargé Feldmans complained that a pamphlet recently issued by the National Committee for Free Europe included a map which depicted the Baltic States as integral parts of the Soviet Union (840.00/10–2849). In a reply of November 25, the Secretary of State observed that the Committee was a private and unofficial organization, and the Department of State was not in a position to intervene with the Committee regarding the map (840.00/10–2849).↩