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

No. 805

611.61/8–2851

Memorandum by the Intelligence Adviser, Bureau of European Affairs (Barnard) to the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Bonbright)¹

top secret

[Washington,] August 28, 1951.

The following is the gist of conversations which took place on 23–24 August between Yuri Zhukov, the Tass representative in Paris, and an American newspaperman .…

1. Zhukov and source met on August 23. Zhukov has recently returned from a vacation in Russia where he had talked with Ilya Ehrenburg and Soviet Foreign Office officials. He also had the opportunity to get the feel of the Russian people for the first time in two years. Zhukov did not receive the impression that war is imminent and he observed nothing which suggested war preparations. In contrast to the situation in 1938 and 1939 he found an abundance of civilian goods and he pointed to the Russian production of refrigerators and “victory” cars as proof that the Russians are not turning out military products. Foreign Office personnel were sanguine about peace possibilities.

2. Commenting on the breakdown of Korean negotiations Zhukov stated his belief that the talks are only temporarily suspended and that a solution could be found. He added that Moscow was eager to bring an end to the war.

3. As in an earlier conversation, Zhukov spoke of Soviet peaceful intentions, pointing out that the Russians are attempting to apply atomic energy to boost agricultural production. He wondered whether American intransigence would cut off this peaceful development. Zhukov said that the Russian people are genuinely friendly to the American people. He added that the Russians had had great affection for the American engineers who helped them to establish socialism years ago and that they had never forgotten American aid during the war. When asked why Soviet newspapers did not publicize these themes Zhukov replied, “Your propaganda forces our propaganda to show your bad sides as well as your good sides”.

4. Zhukov stated that Gromyko’s appearance at San Francisco would show that the Russians are interested in peaceful settlements. For the next 45 minutes Zhukov discussed a possible Truman-Gromyko meeting. At first he was speculative, and then he asked source how such a meeting could be proposed in such a way as to avoid embarrassment on both sides. Source replied that the normal way would be for the Russian Foreign Office to approach the American Government through diplomatic channels. Zhukov expressed the fear that acceptance of such a proposal by the U.S. Government might be interpreted as “appeasement” by Truman’s opponents in view of the current political situation in Washington. Zhukov asked source how he would arrange an interview between an American publisher and the President. Source replied that the situations were not at all parallel. When Zhukov persisted source stated that the easiest way would be to approach Joseph Short and ask him to arrange the interview. Zhukov then remarked that possibly Pravda or Tass representatives in Washington would approach Short. When source pointed out that such a procedure was quite irregular Zhukov reiterated that it was important to avoid possible embarrassment to either side. Zhukov next asked if it would attract undue attention if Gromyko went to San Francisco via Washington. Source asked if Zhukov had knowledge that Gromyko wanted to meet Truman in Washington. Zhukov replied, “I have just seen Gromyko”. (Source comment: one cannot always draw logical conclusions from Zhukov’s statements, which sometimes appear deliberately cryptic in order to permit several interpretations.)

5. Zhukov and source met again on August 24. Zhukov asked if source believed Truman would have time to discuss international affairs before becoming involved in domestic issues. Source replied yes, that Truman would attend the San Francisco conference. Zhukov wondered whether San Francisco would be as satisfactory as Washington for a Truman–Gromyko meeting. Source replied that that point required an official decision. Source then asked whether Zhukov had discussed this topic with Soviet Embassy in Paris. Zhukov replied that there had been speculation on the suitability of one city over the other for a meeting during his talks in the Embassy.²

1. The source text indicates that this memorandum was seen by Deputy Under Secretary Matthews and his special assistant, Nolting. Copies of this memorandum were also directed to principal officers in EUR, to S/ISA, and to the Embassies in London and Paris.
2. There is no further documentation in Department of State files regarding an effort to arrange a meeting between President Truman and Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Gromyko before, during, or after the conference for the conclusion and signature of the Treaty of Peace with Japan, held in San Francisco, September 4–8, 1951.