511.6121/6–2350: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
1710. Following is text letter June 20 from Gromyko to Ambassador on magazine Amerika:1
Reference your letter May 26 to MFA of USSR, A. Ya. Vyshinsky on question distribution magazine Amerika Soviet Union I have honor to communicate following.
Statement contained your letter on “refusal Soviet Government fulfill agreements distribution Soviet Union of 50,000 copies of magazine Amerika” is lacking any foundation since Soviet Government has not taken and cannot take upon itself responsibilities refuse distribution in USSR of 50,000 copies of magazine Amerika regardless of whether there is demand or not for this number copies of magazine.
As for letter mentioned by you from Deputy Minister USSR of April 23, 1946,2 it is only informatory letter in which it is reported [Page 1210] that in answer corresponding inquiry Ministry Foreign Affairs, central administration for distribution and expediting of printed matter (Soyuzpechat) had replied that “it can assume distribution from June 1, 1946, 50,000 copies of magazine Amerika” Obviously above communication of Soyuzpechat can in no measure be regarded as any obligation on its part to distribute magazine Amerika independent of demand for it on part of Soviet readers.
In your letter also attempt is made to connect question distribution magazine Amerika with question having no relation to it of cultural and scientific cooperation between USSR and USA and there is contained statement on supposed negative attitude Soviet Government toward such cooperation and that Soviet Government supposedly had not even answered corresponding American proposals submitted in February 1947. This statement does not correspond to reality for answer of Soviet Government on point of these proposals as is well known to Embassy was given in letter of A. Ya. Vyshinsky of April 21, 1947. In this same letter facts were adduced testifying to ill-disposed attitude of Government USA to establishment of cultural relations between Soviet Union and US. Since then there has been considerable increase of facts indicating that Government USA itself puts obstacles in way of cultural cooperation between two countries.
Reference other questions raised in your letter in connection with decrease in demand for magazine Amerika in USSR, I have nothing to add to what has already been communicated to you in letter of Ministry Foreign Affairs USSR of March 31 all the more since these questions have commercial character by virtue of which they enter not into competency of minstry but into competency of Soyuzpechat.
As for hope you expressed that Soviet Government “Will permit continued distribution of magazine Amerika in USSR,” it goes without saying that there is no necessity of giving such permission second time since on part of Soviet Government there has not been and there is no prohibition or limitation whatever of free sale of magazine Amerika in USSR.
- In telegram 1709 sent from Moscow at the same time Ambassador Kirk judged that the nature of this answer was “not surprising, since it is obvious that Soviet Government will never admit that official or administrative obstacles are put in way of distribution of magazine. In fact statement in last sentence is perhaps more favorable to possibility of continued distribution of magazine at new reduced price than there was reason to expect.” (511.6121/6–2350)↩
- See footnote 2, p. 1128.↩