Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Central and Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

700.001/9–2050

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Perkins) to the Secretary of State ¹

confidential

[Washington,] September 22, 1950.

Subject: Forthcoming London Congress of Partisans of Peace

Discussion

You will recall reports reaching the Department of the satisfaction felt in European communist circles at their success in arranging for the second World Congress of Partisans of Peace to be held in London the middle of November.² This success is particularly significant because of the decision of the Italian Government to prohibit the convocation of the congress in Genoa, which had originally been chosen for this purpose by the communist movement. The communists attach especial importance to holding this meeting in Europe outside the iron curtain, in order to afford it the optimum opportunity to pursue its objective of creating the broadest possible ostensibly non-communist international movement of men of the most diverse political and religious tendences devoted to the principle of neutrality for western Europe.

Some time ago the British Embassy was informed of the Department’s deep concern that the Congress was scheduled to be held in London and was asked what steps the British Government proposed to take in the circumstances.³ We have recently been informed that the British Government shares the Department’s concern but that they do not have the power to prohibit the congress’ being held in England. They were, however, undertaking to deny to foreign participants in the congress as many visas as could be refused on the grounds of public safety or industrial security. They thus hoped effectively to limit the measure of foreign participation in the congress. In addition, they had already denied visas to organizers who were to proceed to England to prepare the congress. In this category they had already refused entry to the Secretary General of the French Bureau of the Partisans, as well as to a group of five Soviet citizens headed by Ilya Ehrenburg,⁴ who were endeavoring to come to London for this purpose. Finally, the Foreign Office said they would communicate further on this subject. In communicating the foregoing to the Department the British Embassy said they would be happy to receive any suggestions we might have with respect to this problem and added that they thought the holding of the meeting in London at this time might well provoke an unfavorable reaction in some quarters in the United States. They also asked if there was anything that we might do with respect to this latter contingency.

The communist peace movement spearheaded by the Partisans of Peace is at the moment the most important political instrument in Soviet hands for furthering the campaign of neutralism in Europe and enlisting the support of broad non-communist masses for communist-directed operations, particularly in labor and intellectual circles. At this critical juncture, when the western powers have determined to make every possible effort to redress the balance of power in the world and reduce the threat of Soviet imperialism, the communist peace movement acquires immeasurable significance. There would appear no other course of action but for the British Government to take every reasonable step within the limitations of British law to throttle the forthcoming congress.

Recommendation

It is recommended that you speak to Mr. Bevin along the above lines and request that he urge the British Government to take every reasonable measure to reduce the effectiveness of the forthcoming London congress, pointing out the incalculable harm that could be done in the coming months to our common policies by a “London Peace Appeal” timed to coincide with the meetings of the General Assembly in New York and with the first forward steps of our great design to strengthen the western world. It would seem reasonable that as a minimum the British Government could see to it that there is no foreign participation in the congress whatsoever and that, at the worst, it emerges as a purely British affair.⁵

1. This memorandum was drafted by G. Frederick Reinhardt, Deputy Director of the Office of Eastern European Affairs, and was concurred in by Deputy Under Secretary of State H. Freeman Matthews, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Barrett, and by the Office of British Commonwealth and Northern European Affairs. A marginal notation on the source text indicates that this memorandum was seen by Secretary of State Acheson.
2. At a meeting in Praha, Czechoslovakia, August 16–18, 1950, the Executive Committee of the World Committee of the Partisans of Peace decided that a Second World Congress of the Partisans of Peace would be held in Great Britain from November 13 to 19. A report on the Praha meeting was transmitted to the Department of State in despatch 49, August 24, from Praha, not printed (700.001/8–2450). The proposed Congress was first scheduled for London, but the site was subsequently shifted to Sheffield.
3. At his daily meeting with principal officers of the Department of State, Secretary Acheson asked that the British be urged to deny permission for the Partisans of Peace to hold their Congress in London (memorandum by McWilliams, September 8, 1950: Secretary’s Daily Meetings, Lot 58 D 600, September 1950). Lot 58 D 609 is a chronological collection of the records of the Secretary of State’s daily meetings with top Department of State officials for the years 1949–1952, as maintained by the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State.
4. Soviet author and journalist.

5. British Foreign Secretary Bevin was in New York for the Fifth Session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Council, September 15–26, and for the concurrent meetings of the Tripartite (American-British-French) Foreign Ministers. No record has been found of a discussion between Secretary Acheson and Bevin on the subject raised in the memorandum printed here. In a letter of September 26 to British Assistant Under Secretary of State Christopher Frederick Ashton Warner, not printed, Assistant Secretary of State Barrett repeated the arguments made in the paragraph printed here and added:

   “I am sure you share my view of the high importance of doing everything within reason to discourage the holding of the conference in London or at any other place in the United Kingdom.” (700.001/9–2650).

   Regarding British efforts to prevent the holding of the “Peace Congress” in the United Kingdom, see telegram 1872, September 28, from London, infra.