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

No. 789

601.6111/7–1351

The Secretary of State to John Russell Young, President, Board of Commissioners, District of Columbia¹

[Washington,] July 13, 1951.

My Dear Mr. Young: I refer to the recent appearance before the Board of Commissioners of Mr. Raymond Muir, Deputy Chief of Protocol, at which time he presented to the Board the request of the Department of State for the institution of reciprocal treatment toward Soviet officials who apply for automobile drivers’ permits.²

As Mr. Muir explained to the Commissioners, the Soviet Government has in recent years made it practically impossible for officials of the American Embassy at Moscow to obtain drivers’ permits, and that such permits are important to our representatives for official as well as personal reasons. In an effort to persuade the Soviet Government to change its restrictive policy, the Department now desires to make it equally difficult for Soviet officials to obtain such permits in the District of Columbia.

It is therefore requested that as a first step you authorize the Director of Vehicles and Traffic of the District of Columbia to require “road tests” for all Soviet officials applying for drivers’ permits without, however, imposing a more onerous test than customarily required of the ordinary applicant.

It is further requested that you now authorize the Director of Vehicles and Traffic of the District of Columbia, upon further notification from the Department of State, to issue instructions to examining personnel that all Soviet applicants should “fail” the driver’s examination. The Department will not request this second step unless the Soviet Government continues its present policy of denying drivers’ permits to American Embassy personnel in Moscow.³

Sincerely yours,

For the Secretary of State:

John F. Simmons

Chief of Protocol

1. Drafted by Muir (S/S–PR) and Davis (EUR/EE) and approved by Bonbright (EUR).
2. In despatch 544 from Moscow, March 19, Minister Counselor of Embassy Barbour recalled earlier Embassy communications reporting on the denial by Soviet authorities of driver’s permits to Embassy personnel in Moscow through the device of failing applicants on examinations. The procedure by Soviet authorities had resulted in effectively preventing the operation by Embassy personnel of private automobiles, in view of the prohibitive cost of employing Soviet drivers. Barbour recommended that reciprocal action be taken in Washington in an effort to obtain permits for U.S. personnel in Moscow as a matter of principle. (601.6111/3–1951) Despatch 689 from Moscow, May 24, reported that Foreign Service Officer Culver Gleysteen had applied for and been refused a Soviet driver’s license after failing an unreasonably detailed and technical examination. Reciprocal action against the Soviet Embassy in Washington was again recommended. (601.6111/5–2451) On July 3, Raymond D. Muir (S/S–PR) and David H. Henry (EUR/EE) appeared before the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia to present a request for the institution of reciprocal treatment toward Soviet officials applying for driver’s permits in Washington. Muir outlined the background of the problem and proposed the two-step program described in the letter printed here. The Commissioners agreed to take the matter under advisement pending the receipt of an official request in writing from the Department of State. (Memorandum of conversation by Henry, July 3, 601.6111/7–351)
3. In a letter of July 19 to Simmons, D.C. Board of Commissioners President Young was informed that the Commissioners had approved the first step of the Department of State’s proposal but had not approved the second step. The Commissioners stated that they were willing to give consideration to the further step “if the time comes when it is felt that more drastic action is necessary.” (601.6111/7–1951)