Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XVI, Eastern Europe; Cyprus; Greece; Turkey

86. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

Washington, November 12, 1963, 11:30 a.m.

SUBJECT

• Travel in the US of Officials from Warsaw Pact Countries

PARTICIPANTS

• Edward Drozniak, Polish Ambassador
• Dr. Marian Dobrosielski, Counselor of Polish Embassy
• G—U. Alexis Johnson
• EE—Herbert S. Malin

Mr. Johnson explained that he had called in the Ambassador to present a note establishing restrictions on the travel within the US of all officials of Eastern European countries who are assigned here.¹ The note specifies that some 12–13% of the area of the conterminous US is henceforth closed to travel for reasons of safeguarding national security. Commercial air and train travel would not be affected, all principal cities remain open for visiting, and two cross-country automobile highways remain open to assure automobile access to the Pacific coast.

Mr. Johnson pointed out that there had hitherto been a lack of equal opportunity for travel of US officials and those of other NATO countries within the USSR, as opposed to the unrestricted access to all portions of the US by officials of Warsaw Pact countries other than the Soviet Union. He elaborated in further detail the heartland concept as it applied to USSR and the US, respective military leaders of the Warsaw Pact and NATO alliances. For these reasons, he said, the US reluctantly can no longer disregard its own national interests, and the new system of travel controls had been devised. He requested voluntary observance of the new limitations, since no requirement for prior notification of proposed travel would be imposed by the US. He made clear that when the USSR relaxes its present travel controls on Western officials, the US would be happy to negotiate similar modifications in its own system.

Ambassador Drozniak, in accepting the note, first disclaimed his authority to speak on behalf of all the Warsaw Pact countries. He said that as a Pole, however, he received the news with concern and dissatisfaction. He was convinced that his government and Polish public opinion would react similarly upon receipt of the news, since Poland had imposed no restrictions on travel of Western diplomats, not even during the coldest period of the cold war. He reserved the right to reply at a later date after studying the note and receiving the views of his government. Personally, the Ambassador thought that similar restrictions might have to be imposed upon travel in Poland of US diplomats, and possibly also upon the officials of other NATO countries. In any event, he felt that the step would be interpreted as a cold war action, rather than as a step toward easing of tension.

Mr. Johnson explained that the area of the US closed to travel of Eastern European officials was only half that closed to Soviet officials, and that it approximated that area in Warsaw Pact countries presently closed for Western travel. For this reason, he said he did not believe that additional retaliatory control measures were justified.

Ambassador Drozniak replied that since no Polish territory was presently closed to US personnel or to anyone else, failure to retaliate could only reflect discredit on Poland’s dignity as a sovereign nation.

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 17 Pol–US. Confidential. Drafted by Malin and approved in G on November 14.
1. For texts of the U.S. statement announcing the restrictions, the U.S. notes to individual countries, and a list of U.S. counties closed to travel, see Department of State Bulletin, December 2, 1963, pp. 860–863.