Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XIV, Soviet Union

190. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State¹

Moscow, January 11, 1967.

2989. 1. I am increasingly disturbed at number of cases brought to our attention of US citizens violating Soviet law, and believe we should be taking more drastic steps to stop it. As an Embassy we seem over recent weeks to have spent inordinate amount of our time picking up pieces after both tourists and exchangees who have either broken Soviet laws or allowed themselves to fall into KGB entrapment, and I am sure that cases coming to our attention are only small fraction of the total.

2. It is particularly discouraging to find that conviction of Wortham and Gilmour for black market ruble transactions² has had so little effect on conduct of US visitors and residents here. Judging by number of cases that we have learned about just in past week, I suspect Kornienko was right when he told me last year at time of Dawson release³ that there were hundreds of violations of Soviet law by US citizens which were never drawn to our attention. These include smuggling (which Kornienko singled out as leading example), black market currency exchange, and resale of articles bought in foreign currency stores at favorable prices.

3. At least a few of these cases have been much more serious than relatively minor infractions committed by Wortham and Gilmour and it is ironic, in fact, that Wortham is one to get three year sentence when some of our other offenders put his dealings in shade. It seems quite likely to me that Soviets would have acted against some of recent offenders if they were not reluctant to add another case on top of Wortham-Gilmour or perhaps because they wish to avoid giving Amb Thompson that kind of problem to start his tenure with.

4. As far as tourists are concerned, we have already recommended (Moscow 2902)⁴ that stronger language be included in Dept’s handouts on travel to USSR underlining penalties provided under Soviet law and citing recent convictions of US citizens. Dept may also wish to think of means to bring this warning more forcefully to attention of prospective travellers here. A public statement may have disadvantage of seeming to discourage tourism to USSR and also might be forgotten fairly quickly, but Dept should be able to persuade travel agencies specializing in Soviet travel to ensure that tourists coming here are given strict oral warning about black market operations in addition to travel handouts.

5. Least excusable violations, and ones for which Dept and Embassy must accept part of blame, are those committed by Americans coming here either as exchangees or to meetings sponsored under exchange program. In past week we have had two flagrant transgressions by exchangees. That one should involve black market ruble transactions, importation of pornographic material, sexual promiscuity, distribution of proscribed material, and acceptance of letter from Soviet citizen for delivery through Embassy pouch, suggests at very least that Dept’s procedures for clearing exchange candidates could stand a little improvement. All this suggests, too, that there is need for stricter briefing of exchange participants by both Dept and Embassy. We are reporting second case in septel.

6. We are in process now of discreetly speaking to each exchangee to make sure no one in doubt about his responsibilities here or that Embassy will recommend immediate recall of anyone guilty of gross violation of Soviet law. We also plan to tighten our own procedures for briefing all exchangees on arrival and for continuing contact with them during their stay, and will be making recommendations separately to Dept on steps it should consider taking there to same end. My purpose in this message is to call attention to general situation and impress upon Dept need that something be done about it.

7. While I am satisfied that behavior of Embassy staff is correct and that everyone is fully briefed on arrival, I am also planning to reiterate their responsibilities to them as well.⁵

Guthrie

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, PS 7–1 US–USSR. Confidential; Limdis. No time of transmission appears on the telegram; it was received at 6:44 a.m.
2. Soviet customs officials arrested Buel R. Wortham and Craddock M. Gilmour, Jr., at the Soviet-Finnish border on October 1, 1966. A Leningrad court sentenced Wortham on December 21, 1966, to 3 years in a labor camp on charges of theft of a statue and violation of Soviet currency regulations. It fined Gilmour 1,000 rubles for a lesser role in the currency violation. (American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1966, p. 510n) Also see footnote 4, Document 207.
3. Thomas Dawson, a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran, was apprehended by Soviet border guards on September 11, 1966, while gathering seashells near the Soviet-Iranian border. He was released on October 3. (American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1966, p. 486)
4. Dated January 5. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, TRV Lanourette, William John)
5. The Department replied in telegram 120403, January 17, agreeing to the necessity of warning U.S. citizens of the dangers of violating Soviet law. (Ibid., POL 23–10 USSR)