No. 530
Editorial Note
In accordance with instructions sent by the Department of State, Chargé O’Shaughnessy on October 8 delivered to the Soviet Foreign Ministry a note acknowledging receipt of the Ministry’s note of October 3 (see Document 526). The note of October 8 rejected the Soviet accusations against Ambassador Kennan; its substantive paragraphs read as follows:
“Ambassador Kennan’s statement accurately and in moderate language described the position of foreign diplomats accredited to the Soviet Government. It is this treatment of diplomatic representatives, systematically applied over a period of years by the Soviet Government, which grossly violates the traditions and customs in international intercourse developed over generations.
“In the light of the above, the United States Government cannot accept the charges made by the Soviet Government as constituting valid reasons for acceding to the request for the recall of Ambassador Kennan.”
The text of the note of October 8 was released to the press as press release 790, Department of State Bulletin, October 20, 1952, page 603.
On October 13, the Embassy in Moscow received a note of reply from the Soviet Foreign Ministry. As transmitted to the Department of State in telegram 662, October 13, the note reads:
“Ministry Foreign Affairs USSR in reply note of Embassy USA October 8, 1952 considers it necessary state that position of Soviet Govt set forth in note Oct 3, 1952 on question recall Mr. Kennan from post Ambassador USA in USSR remains unchanged.
[Page 1058]“As regards assertion contained in Embassy’s note re situation foreign diplomats in Soviet Union, this is in crude contradiction actuality and without any sort basis. This arbitrary assertion is groundless attempt justify false statement, hostile to Soviet Union, of former Ambassador USA in USSR Mr. Kennan.”