October-December 1963: Convoy Incidents and Chancellor Erhard’s Visit to the United States


219. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, USSR, Gromyko/Kennedy. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Akalovsky and approved in S on October 16 and in the White House on October 21. The meeting was held at the White House. Gromyko was in the United States for the 18th session of the U.N. General Assembly. The participants also discussed bombs in orbit, the Test Ban Treaty, a non-aggression pact, observation posts, military budgets, the MLF, U.S.-Soviet relations, disarmament, and Cuba. Memoranda of all these conversations are ibid.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Limited Official Use; Immediate. Drafted and approved by Davis. Also sent to Bonn, London, Paris, and Berlin and repeated electronically to the White House.


221. Memorandum of Conference With President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Meetings and Memoranda Series, Meetings with the President, Berlin Convoy Incidents. Secret. Drafted by Bromley Smith.


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

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany, Berlin Convoy Incidents. Top Secret; Immediate. Drafted by Thompson and approved by Rusk. Repeated electronically to the White House.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Secret; Immediate. Repeated to Bonn, Berlin, London, and Paris. A notation on the source text states that it was received at 7:10 p.m. and relayed to the White House at 7:47 p.m., but it must have been available earlier since it is referred to in the meeting with the President at 5:30 p.m.; see Document 224.


224. Memorandum of Conference With President Kennedy

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


225. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Thompson.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Secret; Flash. Received at 10:33 p.m. on October 11 and relayed to the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the CIA at 11:20 p.m. Repeated to Bonn, Berlin, Paris, and London.


227. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Rusk and Foreign Minister Gromyko

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 36 GER. Secret. Drafted by Rusk on October 14.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Secret; Immediate. Drafted in the Berlin Task Force and cleared by Ausland, Davis, G/PM, and the Department of Defense (ISA). Repeated to Bonn, Berlin, London, Paris, Moscow, U.S. Element Live Oak, CINCEUR, USAREUR, SHAPE, USAFE, and CINCLANT.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Confidential; Immediate; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Ausland on October 17; cleared by Clay, Rusk (in draft), Tyler, Klein, the Department of Defense (ISA), L, and GER; and approved by Davis. Repeated to Paris, Berlin, London, Moscow, U.S. Element Live Oak, SHAPE, CINCEUR, USAREUR, and USAFE.


230. 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, Convoy Procedures. Secret.


231. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Germany, Berlin, Convoy Procedures. Secret. Drafted by David Klein and William Y. Smith.


232. Memorandum for the Record

Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330. Confidential. Drafted by McGhee and approved in S on November 7. A summary of the conversation was transmitted in Secto 2 from Bonn, October 26. (Ibid., Central Files, ORG S)


233. Memorandum From Acting Secretary of State Ball to President Kennedy

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


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Secret; Flash. Drafted and initialed by Ausland and approved and initialed by Thompson. Repeated to Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow, SHAPE, U.S. Element Live Oak, CINCEUR, USAREUR, and USAFE.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Secret; Immediate. Received at 6:58 p.m. and passed to the White House at 7:50 p.m. and to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the JCS, and the CIA at 8:03 p.m. Repeated to Berlin, Moscow, Paris, London, USAREUR, CINCEUR, and U.S. Element Live Oak.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Davis and approved and initialed by Rusk. Repeated to Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow, SHAPE, U.S. Element Live Oak, CINCEUR, USAREUR, USAFE, and USUN.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Secret; Priority. Received at 2:52 p.m. Also sent to USAREUR and CINCEUR and repeated to Paris, London, Moscow, and Berlin.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 38–10. Confidential; Priority. Received at 6:50 p.m. and repeated to Berlin, Bonn, London, and Paris.


239. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk and Secretary of Defense McNamara to President Kennedy

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


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/BALL. Secret; Immediate; Limit Distribution. Passed to the White House and repeated to London, Moscow, Paris, and Brussels.


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

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 2339. Secret; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Bonn and Paris.


242. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149. Drafted and initialed by Creel and approved in U on December 3 and in the White House on January 8, 1964. The meeting was held in the White House.


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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Aides File, Bundy, Chron. No classification marking.


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

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 36 GER. Confidential. Repeated to Berlin, Paris, London, and Moscow.


245. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 28 Berlin. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Ausland and approved in S on October 26. The Foreign Ministers were in Paris for the NATO Ministerial Meeting December 16–18. A summary of this conversation was transmitted in Secto 13 from Paris, December 16. (Ibid.)


246. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, NATO 3 FR (PA). Secret. Drafted by Lampson and approved in S on December 24. The meeting was held at 1 Carleton Gardens. Rusk stopped in London December 18–19 following the NATO Ministerial Meeting.


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

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Aides Files, Bundy, Chron. Secret. Another memorandum from Bundy dated December 27, containing talking points for Erhard’s visit, is published in Declassified Documents, 1979, 471A.


248. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110, CF 2354. Secret; Exdis. The source text bears no drafting information, but it was approved by the White House on January 14, 1964. The Chancellor visited the Texas White House December 28–29.