Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, European Security and the German Question, Volume III, Part 2

762.022/11–751

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Berlin Element (Lyon)¹

secret

Berlin, October 22, 1951.

Those Present:

• Mr. A. F. Susin, Acting Representative of the Soviet Control Commission in Berlin
• Mr. Bashkin, Soviet Political Adviser
• Mr. G. M. Akopov, Liaison Interpreter for Soviet Control Commission
• Major General Lemuel Mathewson, U.S. Commander, Berlin
• Mr. Cecil B. Lyon, Director, Berlin Element
• Mr. Paul P. Roudakoff, Protocol Office, Berlin

Mr. Susin requested an interview this afternoon at 4:30 p. m. He arrived at 5:00 p. m. and apologized for his lateness on the ground that the fog had delayed his coming. He opened the conversation by stating that he had come instead of Mr. Dengin, who is away. General Mathewson asked whether Mr. Dengin was in Moscow, but Mr. Susin’s reply was not clear. Mr. Susin then said that he wished to discuss General Mathewson’s letter to Mr. Dengin of October 19th concerning Steinstuecken.². He then proceeded to explain that about an hour ago the Soviet authorities had told the DDR to instruct the administrators of Land Brandenburg to withdraw the Volkspolizei from Steinstuecken and to have that community revert to its former status. Mr. Susin, then, referring specifically to General Mathewson’s letter, said that according to this letter, Steinstuecken had been included in the American Sector by the European Advisory Commission Agreement of 1944. Mr. Susin said that the Soviet records did not indicate this and inquired whether we had any documents to support our claim. General Mathewson said that it was the district of Zehlendorf which was referred to as being included in the U.S. Sector in the European Advisory Commission Agreement of 1944. General Mathewson added that Steinstuecken was part of the district of Zehlendorf. At this point Mr. Bashkin took up the conversation and asked whether we had any documents to prove that Steinstuecken was in our Sector. General Mathewson asked Mr. Bashkin whether he could produce any document proving that Steinstuecken was not part of the U.S. Sector. General Mathewson then explained that there had been some doubt with regard to certain specific places along the boundary drawn by the European Advisory Commission in its Agreement of 1944, and for that very reason a committee of the Allied Kommandatura had been set up to consider these matters. This committee, in a report of August 7, 1945, recognized the three Zehlendorf enclaves, Wuestermark, Steinstuecken and Nuthewiesen, as belonging to the U.S. Sector. The document was produced and examined by the Soviet officials. They immediately noted the recommendation that these districts be turned over to the Soviets. However, it was explained to them that the conditions of this document were never fulfilled and it was pointed out that the two areas on the island of Wannsee adjacent to the golf course were to have been turned over by the Soviets to the U.S. The map on which this committee report was based was also shown to the Soviet officials. However, they persisted in wanting to discuss the legal status.

General Mathewson informed Mr. Susin that he had no intention of discussing these legal matters at this meeting, however, he added that if Mr. Susin would write him a letter setting forth the statement that Mr. Susin had previously made regarding the orders which the Soviets had given that Steinstuecken would revert to its former status and the removal of the Volkspolizei therefrom, General Mathewson would agree to have his experts discuss the legal status of Steinstuecken with the Soviet experts. General Mathewson also added that what he had objected to strongly was the fact that the Soviets had taken the unilateral action which they had. If they had any doubts concerning the status of Steinstuecken, they should have come to us and discussed these doubts with us, since they knew we were always willing to discuss matters of mutual interest with them. Both Susin and Bashkin at this point said that the Soviets were also always willing to discuss similar matters.

Mr. Susin said it would be difficult for him to write such a letter as General Mathewson requested. General Mathewson then said that a press announcement to this effect in the Eastern papers tomorrow morning would be equally satisfactory. The Soviets made no reply to this, but obviously this proposal was more unacceptable than the one with respect to the letter. When General Mathewson again referred to his displeasure at the Soviet unilateral action, Mr. Bashkin said that the DDR was trying to straighten out its administrative matters; that they (the DDR) had taken the action with respect to Steinstuecken, and that the first the Soviet had known of it was when they received General Mathewson’s letter. General Mathewson queried this point but no answer was forthcoming. General Mathewson next asked what the status of Steinstuecken was at this “ten minutes past 5:00 o’clock”. Mr. Susin said that, had their orders been carried out, the Volkspolizei should have been withdrawn and Steinstuecken should have reverted to its former status. General Mathewson next said, “If the Volkspolizei have been withdrawn, I assume that West Berlin police will have free access to Steinstuecken.” At this point Mr. Susin hesitated and then nodded his head and said “Yes” (“Tak”). Mr. Bashkin, on the other hand, shook his head and said “No” (“Niet”). The latter also said that the Soviets had agreed that Steinstuecken should revert to its former status, and in the former status no Western Sector police had been there. It was pointed out to him by General Mathewson that until about two years ago Western police had patrolled Steinstuecken, but sometime in late 1948 West Berlin police had been chased away by a Russian sentry. Mr. Bashkin said that there had been no Western police in Steinstuecken since the division of Berlin.

After Mr. Susin had again reiterated his statement with regard to the return to the former status, the withdrawal of the Volkspolizei and the hope for Soviet-U.S. discussions, he prepared to leave. At this point, General Mathewson said to him that he appreciated very much Mr. Susin’s coming, his attempts to be cooperative in this matter of Steinstuecken, but that he felt he must say to him that he did not admire the advice which he, Mr. Susin, was getting from certain quarters.³

1. The source text was sent as an enclosure to despatch 365 from Berlin, November 7, not printed (762.022/11–751).

2. This letter reads as follows:

   “Dear Mr. Dengin: I am informed that, by order of the German authorities under Soviet control, the village of Steinstuecken was declared on 18 October to be ‘administratively incorporated into the City of Potsdam’. This unilateral and arbitrary act is a violation of the European Advisory Commission Agreement of 1944, whereby the district of Zehlendorf, of which Steinstuecken is a part, was included in the U.S. Sector of Berlin. The illegal action against Steinstuecken was taken without consulting the U.S. authorities under whose jurisdiction it belongs, and in utter disregard for its inhabitants.

   I therefore demand that the Soviet occupation autorities instruct the German authorities under their control to revoke their action against Steinstuecken and permit its inhabitants to resume the former pattern of their lives as members of the West Berlin community. Sincerely yours, L. Mathewson” (Berlin Mission files, lot 66 F 110, Soviet file no. 4(IV) 1951)

3. On October 23 the Berlin Commandants met to consider the Steinstuecken situation and Mathewson briefed his British and French colleagues on his conversation with Susin. Following this briefing the Commandants agreed to defer any action in retaliation while testing Soviet bona fides and noted that the latest reports indicated that the situation in Steinstuecken was returning to normal. (Telegrams 616 and 617 from Berlin, October 23, 762.022/10–2351)