761.022/6–2150: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State 1
1689. Following as it does recent shooting down of US plane over Baltic, appearance in latest Soviet State and Law (No. 5, 1950) of [Page 1209] Ph.D. Thesis presenting theoretical justification for closing of Baltic Sea to warships all non-Baltic countries2 points up Soviet sensitivity re Baltic3 and may constitute initial step toward eventual Soviet claim that Baltic is “closed sea.” While conceding that Baltic should be left open to merchant shipping all countries, article attempts reserve control Baltic and Straits to riparian powers and demands “effective closing” of Straits on this basis. Thesis shows some similarity to Montreux Convention terms re Black Sea.
Timing this obviously officially-approved article coincides with conclusion Soviet-Finnish five year trade pact and signs Danish concern over its NAT obligations. Proposal re warships non-Baltic powers may appeal to certain jittery Scandinavian political elements and may strengthen tendency this area toward neutral position in cold war. Danish Chargé here has been instructed by his Foreign Office send full report.
Despatch follows.4
- This telegram was relayed to Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Helsinki at 9:10 a. m. on June 21.↩
- S. V. Molodtsov had written a thesis on “The International Law Regime of the Baltic Straits” and had successfully defended it before the, Learned Council of the Institute of Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union.↩
- See also the memoranda of October 6 and December 26, pp. 58 and 62.↩
- Not printed.↩