Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, United Nations and General International Matters, Volume II

173. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission at the United Nations¹

Washington, September 18, 1960—6:15 p.m.

431. Re: Mission’s 698.² Department has considered SYG’s letter and cannot concur his basic allegations either that US restriction Khrushchev and prohibition his repeated travel Glen Cove interferes with his ability carry out his work and duties as Chairman Delegation or that his right enjoy reasonable life outside headquarters district is limited. We would be prepared give consideration request for specific visit, such as weekend, if such were made by SovDel at least 48 hours in advance. We do not wish include this in letter to SYG which as you point out may well be published, but are willing have you convey this to him orally upon personal presentation of letter, text of which follows, on Monday Sept 19.

Begin text letter to SYG:

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your letter of September 15 regarding the limitation on the movements of the Chairman of the Soviet Delegation to the 15th General Assembly of the United Nations and to convey the following views of the United States Government in this regard.

As was pointed out in the aide-mémoire of the United States Mission to the United Nations dated September 9 and left with an official of the Soviet Permanent Mission to the United Nations on the morning of September 10³—a copy of which was handed you on the evening of September 9—the measures taken with regard to the movements of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR during his stay in the United States as head of the Soviet Delegation to the 15th General Assembly were decided upon precisely in order to fulfill the obligations placed upon the Government of the United States by the Headquarters Agreement to which it is a party together with the United Nations.

Your letter refers to these limitations as if they were incompatible with the Headquarters Agreement as interpreted by you before the Economic and Social Council at its 791st meeting.⁴ In that statement you referred to the fact that the United States Government had certain responsibilities with regard to the personal security of delegates which might necessitate limitation on their movements. You further made mention of the right of the delegates to a reasonable life outside of the Headquarters district, that is, the property of the United Nations on which the United Nations buildings are located.

In order that you should be fully acquainted with the views of the United States Government in this matter as expressed to the Soviet Government, I enclose an additional copy of the aide-mémoire of the United States Mission delivered to the Soviet Permanent Mission on September 10, and the memorandum of the Department of State to the Soviet Embassy of September 13. There is also enclosed the communication of the Soviet Government to the United States Government of September 13.⁵

Since the essential differences between the Soviet Government’s communications and those of the United States Government have to do with the question of travel of the Chairman of the Soviet Delegation from New York City to Glen Cove, Long Island and return, it should be noted that this request of the Soviet Government appears to relate to continual and repeated travel over the route established for the Soviet Permanent Mission between New York and the premises maintained by the Soviet Mission for recreational purposes at Glen Cove. To accord the Chairman what would amount to commuting privileges to Long Island would so multiply the difficulties of providing personal security as to make nearly impossible the assurance of such protection as required by the Headquarters Agreement.

It should be clear from the enclosed copies of communications from the United States Government to the Soviet Government that the primary concern of United States authorities is with the personal security of the Chairman of the Soviet Delegation, as required by the provisions of the Headquarters Agreement. The aide-mémoire of the United States Mission to the Soviet Permanent Mission provides further explanation of the reasons why the United States Government considers that these security precautions are particularly necessary at this time.

Given the size of the area comprised within the limitations set forth for the movements of the Chairman of the Soviet Delegation in pursuance of his official functions in connection with the 15th General Assembly and the variety of facilities available to him on Manhattan Island, it does not seem justifiable to suggest that he is thereby deprived of “reasonable life” during the period of his attendance at the General Assembly.⁶

Herter

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 320/9–1560. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by McSweeney on September 17; cleared by Merchant, Hanes, Berding, Carson, Kohler, and Wallner, and in substance with John Eisenhower; and approved by the Secretary.
2. Telegram 698, September 15, transmitted the text of Hammarskjöld’s letter, described below. (Ibid.)
3. See Document 156.
4. Regarding Hammarskjöld’s April 30, 1954, statement, see U.N. doc. E/SR.791.
5. Regarding the U.S. and Soviet communications of September 13, see Document 156.
6. The Soviet Mission requested and received permission for Khrushchev to spend the three weekends of his stay in the United States at Glen Cove. For Khrushchev’s account of these visits, see Khrushchev, Khrushchev Remembers: The Last Testament, pp. 476–477. After Khrushchev’s first visit, the Mayor of Glen Cove wrote Herter to protest against any future visits. A copy of the letter is in Washington National Records Center, RG 59, Conference Files: FRC 83–0068, CF 1772.