Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Berlin Crisis, 1958–1959, Volume VIII

346. Delegation Record of Meeting⁰

Geneva, June 1, 1959, 9:30 a.m.

SECRETARY’S STAFF MEETING

PRESENT

• The Secretary
• Secretary McElroy
• Mr. Merchant
• Ambassador Thompson
• Mr. Becker
• Mr. Berding
• Mr. Irwin
• Mr. Reinhardt
• Mr. Smith
• Mr. Sullivan
• Mr. Wilcox

U.S. Activities in Berlin

1. Secretary McElroy said he thought we should evaluate the importance to us of our activities in Berlin that are offensive to the Soviets. Any yielding of our positions in Berlin should be clearly balanced by the Soviets’ granting something more than the rights we already possess. Secretary McElroy thought it would be hard for us to work in Berlin with any general restraint placed on our activities. Mr. McElroy commented that Lloyd’s ideas, if followed through to their conclusion, were “chilling.” The Secretary said that this subject would be discussed at today’s private meeting with the Soviets.¹ He noted that at the Sunday meeting at his villa² there had been a detailed discussion of our activities in Berlin. In this connection he stated that Mr. Gufler will be coming to Geneva from Berlin tomorrow.

Approach by DDR Representatives

2. Mr. Merchant noted that representatives of the DDR had approached Mr. Becker this morning asking that he clarify for them certain legal points made by the Secretary in his presentations. Mr. Becker, Mr. Merchant said, had properly stated that he was unable to receive the East German representatives.

East German Attacks on Western Delegations

3. Mr. Merchant called attention to a pamphlet referred to in today’s Journal de Geneve which apparently was improperly distributed by the DDR through Maison de la Presse and which attacked the Western Delegations. It was noted that the West Germans have made representations on this matter to Bern.

Tactics for Today’s Meeting

4. At today’s meeting of the Deputies³ there will be a discussion of the statement prepared for the Secretary on Berlin in which Communist charges of improper U.S. activities in Berlin are refuted by citations of Communist activities inimical to the West. The Secretary indicated his approval of discussing the paper with our allies but not giving copies to them.

Mr. Merchant suggested that the three Western Foreign Ministers rotate the responsibility of keeping von Brentano informed of the restricted sessions and the Secretary indicated his approval. The Secretary said that at today’s private meeting he thought it important to refute Gromyko’s charges that Western activities in Berlin are a danger to East Berlin. In response to the Secretary’s inquiry, Mr. Bundy indicated that our data on Communist activities could be used without compromising sources. Mr. Bundy suggested that it might be desirable to avoid going into too much detail on intelligence activities in Berlin lest we open ourselves up to a Communist suggestion that there be a general agreement to stop all such activities. He thought that we could show in capsule form that the East is doing much more than we in the intelligence and espionage field. Ambassador Thompson said that he thought that in these meetings we should constantly keep going back to a discussion of Berlin within the framework of the Western Plan.⁴ Mr. Merchant said that a meeting of the Western Four at the French Villa had been arranged for 11:30 this morning⁵ and the Secretary indicated his agreement.

[Here follow paragraphs 5 and 6 on unrelated subjects.]

Berlin

7. Mr. Smith cited a telegram from Berlin,⁶ expressing the view that the Soviets appear to be primarily interested in the relationship of Berlin and the Federal Republic. Mr. Smith thought that we should give careful study to the possibility that the Soviets might make a satisfactory arrangement on access to Berlin while attempting to prepare the way for severing connections between the Federal Republic and West Berlin. In this connection Mr. Merchant thought that we might study the possibility of the three occupying powers’ removing the suspense order which prevents West Berlin from being the tenth German land. Mr. Smith cited a report⁷ that Brandt had said present German civilian access to Berlin is a question to be regulated by the Germans working under the Four Powers. The Secretary commented that the West Germans endorsed the idea of a German commission, provided it is composed of representatives of the East and West Berlin city governments and not of representatives from the Federal Republic and the DDR.

Press Reaction to Conference

8. Noting that the press has picked up references by Lloyd and Couve to the “Free City” proposal of the Soviets for Berlin, Mr. Berding said that Western use of Soviet terminology is giving the impression that all the Soviets want in Berlin is a free city. He asked that different phraseology be used. Mr. Berding continued that Lloyd gave the impression in his speech Saturday⁸ that we are willing to make a number of unilateral concessions to stay in Berlin. As far as the propaganda field is concerned, this kind of talk is having a bad effect on the morale of RIAS employees. Since RIAS, according to Mr. Berding, indicates to many Berliners U.S. presence in Berlin even more graphically than U.S. troops, there is a feeling that if RIAS goes the U.S. will go too. The Secretary thought it would be desirable at the next plenary to go on the offensive and point out what the East is doing in respect to propaganda and to comment on the role of RIAS in West Berlin. He agreed that Lloyd had gone pretty far on Saturday in his speech. Mr. Reinhardt stated that the passages in the speech on possible discussion of Western propaganda activities in West Berlin had been kept in despite the advice of Hancock and Rumbold.

[Here follows paragraph 9 on an unrelated subject.]

0. Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 64 D 560, CF 1363. Secret. Drafted by James. The meeting was held in Conference Room 209 of the Consulate General Annex.
1. See Document 348.
2. Herter met with Thompson, Merchant, Irwin, and others at 5 p.m. May 31 to discuss Western and Communist intelligence activities in Berlin and, in particular, the two papers referred to in footnote 1, Document 348. No record of this meeting beyond the notation in the chronology has been found. (Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 64 D 560, CF 1362, Chronology for May 30 and May 31)
3. See Document 347.
4. Reference is to the May 14 Western Peace Plan; see footnote 1, Document 295.
5. In a very brief report on this meeting the U.S. Delegation noted that it was agreed that Herter would “spell out” Western complaints about undesirable activities in East Berlin and press Gromyko to be more specific about his complaints on the dangerous situation in West Berlin. (Secto 153 from Geneva, June 1; Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–GE/6–159)
6. Telegram 1022 from Berlin, May 30, noted that recent statements by Ulbricht and other East German officials had stressed the free city of Berlin proposal, which seemed to indicate that the Soviet Union wanted to sever West Berlin’s ties with the Federal Republic. (Ibid., 762.00/5–3059)
7. Not further identified.
8. See Document 344.