September–November 1962: U.S. Policy on Berlin During the Cuban Missile Crisis


113. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.5162A/9–762. Secret. Drafted by Meloy and approved in S on September 18. The meeting was held in Secretary Rusk’s office.


114. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany, Berlin. Top Secret. Drafted by Klein.


115. Report by the Military Sub-Group of the Washington Ambassadorial Group

Source: Department of State, G/PM Files: Lot 59 D 258, NATO Military Plans. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information. A record of the discussion of this paper by the Military Sub-Group on September 12, Sub BQD-Military 33, is in the Washington National Records Center, RG 330, FRC 65 A 3501, 092 Berlin, Germany.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/9–1762. Secret. Repeated to London, Bonn, Moscow, Paris, USAREUR, and SHAPE.


117. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Rusk and the Representative to the United Nations (Stevenson)

Source: Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192. No classification marking. Stevenson was in New York; Rusk was in Washington.


118. Telegram from the Department of State to the Embassy in Germany

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/9–1862. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Tyler and approved by Rusk.


119. Memorandum From the Vice President’s Military Aide (Burris) to Vice President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, Vice President’s Security Files, Col. Burris’ Reports. Secret.


120. Telegram From the Mission at Berlin to the Embassy in Germany

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/9–2562. Secret. Repeated to the Department of State, London, Moscow, Paris, SHAPE, and USAREUR. The source text is the Department of State copy.


121. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European Regional Organizations

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/9–2562. Secret; Priority; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Mautner (BTF); cleared by Anderson, RPM, and INR; and approved by Cash. Repeated to Berlin and pouched to Moscow, London, and Bonn.


122. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany, Berlin. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Hulick on September 28. A note on the source text indicates that it was not cleared with Bundy. Bundy visited Berlin September 25–26 as part of a trip to Europe. Additional documentation on the trip is ibid., Trips and Conferences Series, McGeorge Bundy Trip to Europe.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/9–2562. Top Secret; Priority; No Other Distribution. Drafted and approved by Kaysen. Repeated to Copenhagen eyes only for Bundy, who was en route from Berlin. The situation described in this telegram had been discussed by Rusk and Ball and Schroeder and Bundy on September 24 and by Ball and Kaysen (twice) and Kaysen and Bundy on September 25 before arriving at the decision to approach Globke on the problem. For a record of the Kaysen-Bundy telephone conversation, see Declassified Documents, 1982, 1351; records of the other telephone conversations are in Department of State, Rusk Files: Lot 72 D 192.


125. Message From Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, USSR, Khrushchev Correspondence. No classification marking. The full text is printed in volume VI.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/9–2962. Secret; Limit Distribution. Repeated to London, Paris, Bonn, and Berlin. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Davis. (Ibid., Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2150)


128. Record of Meeting

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany. Secret. Drafted by Kaysen. The time of the meeting is taken from the President’s Appointment Book. (Ibid.) A similar record drafted by Creel is ibid. A summary of the meeting was transmitted to Bonn in telegram 925, October 6. (Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/10–662) For Brandt’s account of this meeting, see Begegnungen und einsichten, pp. 94–95. Brandt had also discussed Berlin with Tyler, Hillenbrand, and Creel at 10 a.m. (Memorandum of conversation; Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/10–562)


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/10–662. Secret; Limited Distribution. Repeated to Bonn, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and London.


130. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, France, General. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted and initialed by Tyler and approved in S on October 12 and in the White House on October 24. The source text is labeled “Part 1 of 4 Parts.” Parts 2 and 3 dealt with Laos and the Congo respectively; Part 4 also dealt with Berlin, containing a 2-paragraph discussion between Rusk and Couve de Murville on contingency planning. (Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/10–962) Couve de Murville was in the United States to attend the 17th session of the U.N. General Assembly.


131. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/10–1062. Secret. Drafted by Creel and initialed by Tyler.


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

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2175. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted and approved by Hillenbrand. Repeated to London, Paris, Moscow, Berlin, and USUN.


133. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, S/S Files, eyes Only Telegrams Microfilm. Secret; Priority.


134. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted and initialed by Creel and approved in the White House on October 26. The meeting was held at the White House. A summary of the conversation was transmitted to Bonn in telegram 1021, October 18. (Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/10–1862)


135. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/10–1862. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky on October 21 and approved in the White House on October 23. The meeting was held in the White House. The source text is labeled “Part I.” Part II, which dealt with Cuba, is scheduled for publication in volume XI; Part III, which dealt with nuclear testing, is printed in vol. VII, Document—; and Part IV, which dealt with U.S.-Soviet bilateral relations, is printed in vol. V, Document 151. A summary of this conversation was transmitted to Moscow in telegram 958, October 20. (Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/10–2062) Gromyko was in the United States to attend the 17th session of the U.N. General Assembly.


136. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/10–1862. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on October 23. The meeting, which was held at the Department of State, took place during Rusk’s dinner for Gromyko. A summary was transmitted to Moscow in telegram 953, October 19. (Ibid.)


137. Memorandum From David Klein of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany, Berlin. Secret.


138. Record of Meeting of the Military Sub-Group of the Washington Ambassadorial Group

Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, ISA Files: FRC 65 A 3501, 092 Germany. Top Secret. Prepared in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.


139. Memorandum From the Acting Chairman of the Office of National Estimates of the Central Intelligence Agency (Smith) to Director of Central Intelligence McCone

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Cuba, Intelligence Materials. Top Secret. At the 10 a.m. meeting of the Executive Committee of the NSC on October 23 President Kennedy had asked McCone for an analysis of the effect of a blockade on Berlin. (Minutes of the Executive Committee; Department of State, Central Files, 611.3722/10–2362)


140. Record of Meeting No. 1 of the Berlin-NATO Subcommittee

Source: Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 65 D 438, Cuban Missile Crisis. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information. At the second meeting of the Executive Committee of the NSC, October 23, at 6 p.m., President Kennedy confirmed Nitze as the chairman of the subcommittee on Berlin-NATO preparations and invited him to meet regularly with the Executive Committee in this capacity. (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Executive Committee Meetings, Record of Action for Meeting No. 2) In an attachment to his record of the Daily White House Staff Meeting on October 24, Legere indicated that, in addition to representatives of the JCS, CIA, USIA, Treasury, and OSD, Nitze, Thompson, Hillenbrand, Schaetzel, Klein, and he were members of the subcommittee. Legere and Klein sent their joint account of the meeting to Bundy on October 24. (Ibid., Countries Series, Germany, Berlin)


141. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Diplomatic Missions

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.3722/10–2462. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Thompson, cleared by Tyler, and approved by Rusk. Sent to the NATO capitals, Bern, Stockholm, Vienna, and Berlin.


142. Paper Agreed by the Berlin-NATO Subcommittee

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany, Berlin. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information, but is attached to a memorandum from Nitze to the Executive Committee of the NSC, October 26, which states that the paper was agreed by the subcommittee at its meeting on October 25. A 2-page record of the second meeting of the Berlin-NATO Subcommittee is in Department of State, S/S Files: Lot 65 D 438, Cuban Missile Crisis.