32. Editorial Note

NSC 5811/1, “U.S. Policy Toward the Soviet-Dominated Nations in Eastern Europe,” was adopted by the National Security Council on May 22 and approved by the President on May 24. It stated that U.S. policy was to maintain and develop popular pressures on the current regimes and accelerate evolution toward independence from Soviet control. It claimed that the existing ferment in Eastern Europe offered new opportunities to influence the dominated regimes through greater U.S. activity, both private and official, in such fields as tourist travel, cultural exchange, and economic relations.

NSC 5811/1 is printed in Part 1, Document 6.