March 1962: Discussion of Berlin at the Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee Meetings at Geneva


1. Memorandum From President Kennedy to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Germany, Berlin. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information.


2. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Kohler) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2058A. Secret. Drafted by Hillenbrand on March 9 and cleared in draft by Bohlen.


3. Letter From Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204. No classification marking. In a memorandum to the President on March 12, Sorensen explained that he had picked up this letter at 3:20 p.m. on March 10 from Georgi Bolshakov, who in a 15-minute conversation, reflected the contents of the letter in a “less dogmatic and more affirmative and friendly tone.” Bolshakov stressed that concession on the international access authority was made personally to the President and that the Chairman’s best efforts came from his own pen and not from the Foreign Office. (Kennedy Library, Sorensen Papers, Cuba, General, 1962) A copy of the letter was transmitted to Secretary Rusk in Geneva at 9:30 p.m. on March 10 in Tosecs 9 and 10. (Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 77 D 163) The full texts of all the Kennedy-Khrushchev messages are printed in volume VI.


4. Telegram From President Kennedy to Secretary of State Rusk, at Geneva

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Germany, Berlin. Secret; Eyes Only.


5. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/3–1062. Secret. The source text bears no drafting information.


6. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.41/3–1162. Secret. Drafted by Kohler and approved in S on March 13. The meeting was held at the U.S. Mission. A detailed summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 10 from Geneva, March 12. (Ibid., 762.00/3–1262)


7. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/7–362. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on July 9. The meeting was held at the Hotel Richmond. A summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 11 from Geneva, March 12. (Ibid., 700.5611/3–1262)


8. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–1262. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on July 9. A detailed summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 18 from Geneva, March 12. (Ibid., 611.61/3–1262)


9. Memorandum From the Representative to the Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee (Dean) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–GE/3–1362. Secret. Drafted by Dean and also sent to Bohlen, Kohler, Hillenbrand, Manning, Spiers, and Martin.


10. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–1362. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on July 9. The meeting was held in Secretary Rusk’s suite at the Hotel Richmond. A detailed summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 29 from Geneva, March 13. (Ibid., 611.61/3–1362)


11. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192, Chron. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Rusk and concurred in by Kohler. Repeated to Berlin.


12. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Weiss) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Kitchen)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–1462. Top Secret. Drafted and initialed by Weiss.


13. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.61/3–1462. Secret.


15. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.61/3–1762. Top Secret; Niact. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Rusk. (Ibid., Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2060)


16. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–1862. Secret; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Bohlen on March 19. The meeting was held at the Hotel du Lac.


17. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.61/3–1962. Secret; Priority. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Hillenbrand and concurred in by Bohlen and Kohler. (Ibid., Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2060)


18. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2062. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on July 9. A detailed summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 73 from Geneva, March 21. (Ibid., 611.61/3–2162)


19. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2262. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on July 9. The meeting was held in Secretary Rusk’s suite at the Hotel Richmond. A detailed summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 92 from Geneva, March 23. (Ibid., 611.61/3–2362)


20. Paper Prepared in the U.S. Delegation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2062. Confidential. The source text bears no drafting information, but is attached to a March 21 memorandum from Kohler to Rusk, which states that it had been worked out after communications with Washington. The source text bears the handwritten notation: “As handed Gromyko.”


21. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0021/3–2262. Secret; Priority. Received at 3:17 p.m. Also sent to Geneva and USAREUR and repeated to Berlin, London, Paris, and Moscow.


22. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2262. Secret; Niact. Received on March 22 at 11:18 p.m. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Rusk and concurred in by Bohlen, Thompson, and Kohler. (Ibid., Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 193, Chron)


23. Telegram From the Mission at Berlin to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/3–2362. Secret; Priority. Received at 2:40 p.m. Also sent to Geneva and Bonn.


24. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2562. Secret; Niact. Passed to the White House. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Rusk and concurred in by Thompson, Kohler, and Bohlen. (Ibid., Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 193, Chron)


25. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2662. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on July 9. The meeting was held at the Soviet Mission. A detailed summary of this conversation was transmitted in Secto 114 from Geneva, March 27. (Ibid., 611.61/3–2762)


26. Telegram From the President’s Special Representative in Berlin (Clay) to the Commander in Chief, United States Army, Europe (Clarke)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/3–2662. Top Secret; Priority. Also sent to Bonn, Geneva, and to the Department of State as telegram 1817, which is the source text.


27. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2662. Top Secret; Niact; Eyes Only. Passed to the White House. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Rusk. (Ibid., Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2060)


28. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Mission at Berlin

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–2762. Secret. Also sent to the Department of State as Secto 116, which is the source text.


29. Minutes of the Meeting of the National Security Council

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Meetings with the President. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information.