220. Editorial Note
During a conversation on August 8, 1962, Secretary of State Rusk reminded Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin that the question of creation of a Deputy Foreign Ministers forum to discuss matters relating to Germany and Berlin had been raised with Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko as early as the previous spring. Rusk asked if Dobrynin had received instructions for a response. Dobrynin replied that he would raise the matter with Moscow. On August 13 he met again with Rusk to deliver the following message: “The Soviet Government cannot agree to the proposal for a Deputy Foreign Ministers Conference [on Berlin] since it would [Page 473] give the appearance of negotiations which, in fact, would have no real chance of success. In fact, there has been no progress on resolving the key issue of withdrawing Western forces from West Berlin and terminating the occupation regime there.” Both memoranda of conversation are in Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, volume XV, pages 262–266 and 270–271.