5. Memorandum for the Record0
TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN
John C. Ausland (State Department) and Martin J. Hillenbrand (Geneva)
Mr. Hillenbrand said that he had talked to the Secretary about General Norstad’s request for authority to fly over 10,000 feet in the Berlin air corridors [1 line of source text not declassified].1 The Secretary asked that we request the approval of the President to grant General Norstad the authority he had requested. The Secretary had spoken with Lord Home and recommended that the British Government grant the authority requested by General Norstad also. As soon as the Secretary has received the British reply Mr. Hillenbrand will inform the Department and will request that the Department approach the French with a request that they grant the authority requested by General Norstad also. If neither the British or French or both have not granted General Norstad the requested authority by 1800 Z, March 12, the Secretary believes that General Norstad should be granted authority to proceed unilaterally.
The Secretary will be discussing the air corridor question with Gromyko this evening and if this conversation affects the views expressed above he will communicate immediately with the President.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/3–1062. Secret. The source text bears no drafting information.↩
- In a message dated March 11, Norstad described the flights that the Soviets planned to operate in the southern Berlin air corridor and stressed that these flights raised the corridor problem to new heights of seriousness and complexity. He outlined the countermeasures he had ordered and requested authority to fly above 10,000 feet when Soviet flights prevented Western use of the normal flying altitudes. (Ibid., 962.72/3–1162) Later on March 11 President Kennedy approved this authority. (Tosec 12 to Geneva, March 11; ibid., Conference Files: Lot 65 D 533, CF 2058)↩