Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Germany and Austria, Volume VII, Part 2

OCB files, lot 62 D 430, “Germany I”

No. 741
Memorandum by the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (MacKnight) to the Under Secretary of State (Smith)¹

secret

[Washington,] August 3, 1953.

Subject:

• Guidance on East German Food Riots.

The following guidance lines have been developed pursuant to your conversation with Mr. C.D. Jackson in which he suggested that RIAS adopt a bolder line now that the East German Police have imposed travel restrictions on East Berliners. Mr. Jackson suggested that RIAS take the line that nothing stood in the way of feeding the East Germans except the police authorities, and that it was up to the workers to take the matter into their own hands.

The line developed in the Department and cleared by GER, EE, G, and P is as follows: Give full descriptive details on the stories coming out of Germany describing the effects of Soviet-Communist interference with our food distribution program. Play heavily High Commissioner Conant’s statement² branding the action of the East German authorities as a crime against the people. Stress the enormity of the crime, pointing out that the only conceivable charge is that East Germans are hungry. In face of this situation, the action of the East German authorities strike us as incomprehensible, immoral, and impolitic. Emphasize that the right to food and adequate subsistence is one of the most basic rights in any civilized society and that a government which denies this right to its people (and particularly to the working population) is placing itself outside any code of ethical behavior.

At the same time, point out that the flow of food to Berlin will continue. The U.S. Government will not be deflected from its intentions to go through with the food program as announced by President Eisenhower³ and as specified by High Commissioner Conant. Ships loaded with food will continue to arrive in German ports. The food will be transported to Berlin and will be available, as before, to all needy from East Berlin and East Germany. The only obstacles between the East German population and the food are those erected by East German authorities.

We do not feel that we should go beyond these statements for the moment; specifically, we do not believe that we should at this point request our media to incite directly and overtly to action against East German authorities.

1. Drafted by Kloman.
2. Presumably a reference to Conant’s statement of Aug. 2, printed in Department of State Bulletin, Aug. 17, 1953, p. 210.
3. Presumably a reference to the announcement made by Hagerty on July 11 in response to Molotov’s rejection of the U.S. food offer. For text of this announcement and a description of the Department of State’s elaboration on it, see Department of State Bulletin, July 20, 1953, p. 68, footnote 1.