Office of the Historian
  1. Home
  2. Historical Documents
  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V
  4. Document 496

800.00B/3–1849

The Secretary of State to President Truman 1

secret
[ Washington ,] March 14, 1949.

For The President From Secretary Acheson:

You will recall the discussion at a recent Cabinet luncheon concerning the expected request for visas for a cultural and scientific conference for world peace sponsored by Harlow Shapley’s National American Council of the Arts, Sciences and Professions.2 Discussion at the luncheon indicated that most of the individuals being invited would be Communist and the preliminary view of the group was at that time that we should not object to the entry of persons concerned to attend this particular conference. Official requests have now been received for approximately twenty visas. We have considered the problem in a very careful manner and from a propaganda point of view we believe the following course of action will be best:

[Page 808]

We will grant the Soviet delegation of six, the Czechoslovak delegation of five and the Rumanian delegation of two, official visas carrying no diplomatic privileges. These visas will be valid only for the purposes of the conference, Reason we are planning to refuse the visa request from the Hungarian Government for a delegation of five is recent expulsion of United States Minister.3 Remaining requests are not of an official Governmental nature but are requests by private individuals. It is our intention to refuse these visas. A positive finding that their admission is in the national interest would be necessary and I do not believe that such a finding is justified.

Basic reason for our granting visas to Soviet, Czechoslovak and Rumanian delegations is my belief that we should be willing to meet Communists in open debate on issues involved. If we refuse, belief would be heightened both in the United States and abroad that we are intransigent and not willing to have any friendly relations with the U.S.S.R. Mrs. Roosevelt4 and other U.S. delegates at international conferences dealing with human rights and freedom of information have often been embarrassed by U.S. actions contrary to principles of freedom of information and exchange for which we are fighting. Moreover, we believe Communist delegates will probably defeat their own purposes by their speeches at the conference.

I have discussed all the foregoing with the Secretary of Defense, who sees no military reason to exclude the group, and with the Attorney General who would rather exclude all but who is willing to support the foregoing proposal.

Inasmuch as the Soviet delegation must leave Moscow within four days to arrive in time for the conference, it is necessary that we give an answer as soon as possible. Unless you object we plan to follow the course of action indicated above.5

  1. This message was presumably delivered by courier to President Truman, who was vacationing at Key West, Florida. Following the President’s approval (see footnote 5 below), this message was circulated to Assistant Secretary of State Allen and to Charles M. Hulten, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Administration.

    The records of the Secretary of State’s morning staff meetings (Executive Secretariat Files, Lot 58 D 604) provide the following information on the circumstances attending the preparation of this message. The question of the issuance Of visas to delegates from Eastern Europe to the New York Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace had been discussed at the Secretary’s staff meeting of March 10 (see supra), and it was again discussed at the staff meeting of March 14. The Secretary requested that a meeting be arranged between him, Attorney General Clark, and Secretary of Defense James V. Forrestal for that afternoon. Following the meeting President Truman was to be informed of the policy proposed with respect to the New York Conference (memorandum of conversation by Humelsine, March 14). No record has been found of the Secretary’s meeting with Clark and Forrestal which is referred to in the penultimate paragraph of the message printed here. At his staff meeting on March 16, Secretary Acheson was informed by Under Secretary Webb that the President had approved the Department’s suggestions for the handling of the visa question and had recommended that Assistant Secretary of State Allen personally inform the press of the decision. A draft statement was discussed and amended at the Secretary’s direction (memorandum of conversation by Humelsine, March 16). Regarding the statement given to the press later the same day by Assistant Secretary Allen, see the editorial note, infra.

    ↩
  2. No record has been found of the Cabinet luncheon under reference here.↩
  3. Selden Chapin, the Minister in Hungary, left Budapest on February 17 following the demand by the Hungarian Government on February 11 for his recall; see footnote 1 to memorandum dated February 10, p. 464.↩
  4. Mrs. Franklin D Roosevelt, the widow of the late President, was a member of the United States Delegation to the Third Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly (September–December 1948 and April–May 1949) and was Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.↩

  5. The source text bears the following handwritten notation by President Truman:

    “To Sec. of State:

    Course of action suggested in your message of 14th in regard to National American Council of the Arts, Sciences and Professions is approved. HST.”

    ↩