740.00119 Control (Germany)/12–3047: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Smith) to the Secretary of State
3467. I share Murphy’s concern (Berlin’s 3786 to Department, December 24, repeated London 464, Moscow 5986) at Kirkpatrick’s views German question as recently expounded to Gallman. (London’s 6607 to Department December 23, repeated Berlin 537, Moscow 3677) To think in terms of appeasing the Russians in order maintain our position in Berlin seems to me to ignore what experience in dealing with Soviet Government should have taught us. No doubt Russians will undertake noisy campaign to scare us out of Berlin and endeavor create as unpleasant material conditions as possible to encourage such withdrawal. There are in fact indications that such a campaign has already been launched (Berlin’s 3762, December 19, to Department8). Yet for us to yield to such blackmail would be most dangerous, although they may at times seem to be skating on pretty thin ice. I feel sure that Kremlin has no intention of pushing matters to breaking point on any European front at least until further consolidation and organization of satellite economies and military establishments has been achieved. If I am wrong, then the sooner the issue is joined the better.
On the other hand, precipitant establishment of a western German government followed by a separate peace with the West might indeed impel Kremlin take greater risks since such actions would be viewed from here as a positively aggressive move although the fundamentally imperialistic character of Soviet foreign policy is far clearer now than it was at Potsdam. I still believe we should continue base our attitude on firm insistence on our rights, together with an open door to any Soviet cooperative gesture no matter how remote a contingency the latter may seem to be.
Department pass Berlin as Moscow’s 618, London as 392.