Office of the Historian

87. Memorandum of Conversation0

New York, July 12, 1959.

PARTICIPANTS

  • Deputy Prime Minister Frol R. Kozlov, U.S.S.R.
  • Ambassador Mikhail A. Menshikov, Embassy of the U.S.S.R.
  • Mr. Viktor M. Sukhodrev, Interpreter
  • Deputy Under Secretary Robert Murphy
  • Mr. Foy Kohler

In accordance with the President’s instructions,1 accompanied by Mr. Foy Kohler, I proceeded to New York on the evening of July 12. We met with Deputy Prime Minister Kozlov, Ambassador Menshikov and an interpreter at the Soviet Mission Headquarters, 68th and Park Avenue, New York City. After an exchange of comments regarding Mr. Kozlov’s tour in the United States, with which he expressed great satisfaction and appreciation (asking that the President be so informed), I informed him that at the President’s request, I was asking whether he would be kind enough to take with him to Moscow a sealed envelope addressed to Prime Minister Khrushchev by the President.2 He agreed with alacrity. I handed him the sealed envelope and then said in addition I wished to convey to him an oral message from the President following the notes which I had in my hand. Then reading from the talking paper,3 I conveyed to him the verbatim text of that paper. This was taken down by the interpreter in English and translated to Kozlov and Menshikov. They expressed the greatest interest. Mr. Kozlov said that his decision to leave the United States on the evening of July 12 rather than July 13 is due to his desire to see Prime Minister Khrushchev in Moscow immediately after his arrival there and prior to Mr. Khrushchev’s departure for Poland.4 He promised to immediately deliver the President’s written message and to convey to Mr. Khrushchev the oral message.

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I informed Mr. Kozlov that this matter was being maintained by us in strictest confidence and hoped that they would treat it in the same manner. He agreed readily, emphasizing that there would be no publicity.

We explained to Mr. Kozlov that it had been our intention to see him off at Idlewild but that when he shifted his departure to 4 a.m., we thought that he would understand our inability to be at the airport. He said he fully understood and that our visit to him at the Soviet Mission took care of all the amenities and protocol.

It was agreed with Mr. Kozlov that if questioned by the press we would say that we had come to New York to bid him farewell as a matter of protocol, and if asked he would confirm it that way. Fortunately, as we visited Mr. Kozlov at 8:15 p.m. in the Mission Headquarters after the press had departed, as far as we know, we were not observed by any newspaper people on arrival or departure. We went immediately into the Mission Headquarters and by private elevator to the office on the upper floor. The meeting was limited to the above indicated. It seemed clear that the Russians themselves desired to keep the matter strictly confidential and had arranged our reception accordingly. 88. Paper Prepared in the Department of State

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.6111/7–1359. Top Secret. Drafted by Murphy. Attached to the source text is a July 13 transmittal memorandum from Acting Secretary Dillon to President Eisenhower.↩
  2. At a meeting with Secretary Herter and other Department of State officials on July 10, the President directed the Department of State to revise a draft letter from the President to Khrushchev and a talking paper which Murphy would use in this meeting with Kozlov. These documents related to the President’s invitation to Khrushchev for an exchange of visits between the two leaders. A memorandum of this conference with the President on July 10 is printed in vol. VIII, Document 431.↩
  3. A draft of the letter is printed as Document 89.↩
  4. Document 88.↩
  5. Khrushchev visited Poland July 14–23.↩