602.4911/5–2350: Telegram
The Ambassador in Czechoslovakia (Briggs) to the Secretary of State
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766. Following Foreign Office note was received 5 p. m. this afternoon:
“Ministry Foreign Affairs acknowledges receipt of letter No. 350 of May 13, 19501 of Ambassador of US of America and has honor to advise as follows:
[Page 566]“The Ministry Foreign Affairs considers that the demand of the Government of US of America as expressed from mentioned letter, requesting that Czech Republic cease the activity of its Consulates in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and that it reduce the number of its employees in the diplomatic and consular offices in the US in accordance with the reduced scope of relations between Czechoslovakia and the US, and this according to the oral interpretation of the Ambassador of the US by two-thirds of the existing number, is unjustified. This demand represents an act of reprisal against the justified request of the Ministry Foreign Affairs that the number of employees in the diplomatic and consular offices of the US of America in the Czech Republic be reduced by two-thirds.
“On the part of the US of America, this represents a further gross violation of the usages existing in relations between states, particularly if we consider the disproportion of the measures of the US of America as set out in the mentioned letter. The Czech Government, in its relations with other states, has always avoided the use of reprisals.
“The demand of the US at the same time represents a violation of the principle of International Law concerning the reciprocity of relations and measures between the states. For it is a fact that the number of employees remaining in the diplomatic and consular offices of the US in Czechoslovakia already after the requested reduction, still reaches the number of employees of all the Czech diplomatic and consular offices in the US before the reduction demanded in the letter No. 350 of the Ambassador of the US.
“In order that the future relations between the Czech Republic and the US of America be based on the principle of strict reciprocity, the Ministry Foreign Affairs requests that within fourteen days the number of employees of the diplomatic and consular offices of the United States in Czechoslovakia be reduced in all categories to the same number as that of the Czech diplomatic and consular offices in the US after the reduction requested in the mentioned letter of the Ambassador of the US, that is to twelve employees, and these:
“4. [sic] In the category of employees, on the diplomatic list, seven employees not mentioned in diplomatic list and one attendant. Besides that the Ministry Foreign Affairs requests that the number of locally hired personnel be reduced to seven.” Complimentary close.