Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Europe: Political and Economic Developments, Volume IV, Part 2

No. 778

601.6111/6–651

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State ( Webb)

confidential

[Washington,] June 6, 1951.

Subject: Soviet Ambassador’s Courtesy Call before Departing to the USSR on Leave; Protest Concerning Refusal of Longshoremen to Load Effects of Departing Soviet Official Personnel on the S.S. America on May 8.

Participants:	Alexander S. Panyushkin, Soviet Ambassador
	Boris I. Karavaev, Counselor, Soviet Embassy
	Mr. Myshkov, Interpreter
	Mr. Webb, Under Secretary
	Mr. Davis, EE

Ambassador Panyushkin called at 11 o’clock this morning at his request to pay a courtesy call upon the occasion of his departure on vacation to the Soviet Union. The Ambassador stated he did not wish to detain me long but he would like to bring up before departing one “big question” which already had a “long beard,” as the unsolved problem was now a month old. This concerned the personal effects of Soviet official personnel who had been forced to depart on the S.S. America on May 8 without their baggage. The Ambassador referred to his conversation with Mr. Perkins on May 19¹ and asked that measures be taken to have the 17 cases involved forwarded. With a smile he added that the cases did not contain goods of a “military character” but were the personal belongings of Soviet officials.

I told the Ambassador that Mr. Perkins had spoken to me about this and that I personally had taken up the matter with the highest officials of our Government, including Secretary Tobin of the Department of Labor. I also said that I had been in touch with Mr. Green, President of the American Federation of Labor, and that he had stated he would do what he could and would let me know.² I said that we regretted this occurrence and were anxious to have the problem solved. However, as the Ambassador undoubtedly understood, it was the workers on the docks who had refused to load these cases and the Government was not in a position to issue commands to the longshoremen to load them. In conclusion I stated that we had this problem very much in mind and were doing everything we could to solve it.

The Ambassador expressed his appreciation for my personal participation in this matter.

In departing, the Ambassador introduced Mr. Karavaev as the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in his absence.

James E. Webb

1. See footnote 2, supra.
2. See also footnote 3, supra. No indication has been found in Department of State files that Green ever discussed the matter further with Webb. The Department of State informally ascertained in mid-June that the Swedish American Line was willing to attempt to forward the Soviet diplomatic baggage in question. (Telegram 812 to Moscow, June 18, 601.6111/6–1551)