329. Transcript of Comments by Director of Central Intelligence McCone0
[Here follow questions and answers on subjects other than the Soviet Union.]
Q. You gave as the mission of CIA the double function of evaluating both capabilities and intentions. In your rundown on Russia vis-à-vis Western Europe, you gave us a good picture of its capabilities in Western Europe. I would be interested in your evaluation as to the Russian intentions in Western Europe, particularly with reference to Berlin, which at the moment seems to be quiescent. What is your evaluation of their intentions in Western Europe?
DCI: Yes, Berlin is quiet at the present time. We do not think that the Soviets intend to move militarily in Western Europe in the foreseeable future. We observe them in a high state of readiness, but we see no actions which we would interpret as an intention to move militarily, nor to move into Berlin and to accept the resultant confrontation. Now their policy with respect to Berlin blows hot and cold, and I think is adjusted from time to time because of internal pressures on the communist hierachy in Moscow. We believe that as of the present time they are pretty well consumed with internal problems, they are beset by the Soviet-Sino split, they are giving some considerable attention to their 6,000 mile border, and we think that all of these account for a rather quiet period. We see not very much in the way of threats. Occasionally they rattle a missile or trot out a hundred megaton bomb, or make a provocative statement at a Moscow cocktail party to some worried diplomat. But generally speaking the [Page 705] type of threat and extreme statement of the last few years are not present at the moment. We attribute this to internal problems which have them somewhat divided and hence not quite as decisive as they have been in the past.
[Here follow questions and answers on subjects other than the Soviet Union.]
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DCI (McCone) Files, Speeches: Job 80-B01285A. Secret. The source text is a transcript of a question and answer session following McConeʼs remarks to the Army War College National Strategy Seminar.↩