Office of the Historian

343. Telegram From the Delegation to the Foreign Ministers Meeting to the Department of State0

Geneva, May 30, 1959, 7 p.m.

Secto 148. From the Secretary. After plenary session today I met with Lloyd, Couve and von Brentano with two or three advisers each. I presented following to which all agreed.

“After dinner tonight with Gromyko I think we should go back at Gromyko on our plan for uniting Berlin and also re-emphasize that we are still talking within the framework of the Western Peace Plan which contemplates only an interim solution for Berlin pending reunification.

I think we should also summarize the situation along the following lines.

The three Western powers jointly make the following points:

1.
They will not give up their rights of occupation in Berlin with unhindered access thereto.
2.
They will not withdraw their military forces from West Berlin.
3.
They have no intention of recognizing the DDR.
4.
If the Soviets unilaterally break their existing agreements with the Western powers or assert that they can transfer their obligations to the DDR or otherwise impair the legal rights of the Western powers, then it would seem futile for the Western powers to enter into any agreement in future with the Soviet Union on any matter where the agreement was dependent on good faith rather than being completely [Page 792] self-enforcing. With respect to West Berlin, under such circumstances, they will retain and exercise their rights which cannot be impaired by any such unilateral action.
5.
There are other aspects of the Berlin situation which are negotiable on a basis of reciprocity. We would welcome arrangements which would reduce the Soviet expressed fear of ‘incidents’ and clarify the terms under which our rights are exercised, including in particular normal civilian intercourse for goods and people between West Berlin and the Federal Republic by all modes of transport.

Obviously the introduction of even ‘symbolic’ Soviet forces into West Berlin would be unacceptable. If ‘symbolic’ Soviet forces are to remain in Berlin, the place for them is East Berlin.”

Herter
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/5–3059. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution.↩