135. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Press Secretary (Salinger) to Secretary of State Rusk0
I would appreciate your comments on the following draft letter to Alexsei Adzhubei, Editor of Izvestia:
“Dear Alexsei:
“We were all most pleased with the publication of the Presidentʼs interview in Izvestia. As I told you when you were here, I considered the opportunity for an American President to express his views to the Soviet people of the greatest possible importance and your faithful publication of the Presidentʼs views has fully met our expectations in this matter.
[Page 335]“As you said in the interview, it is sometimes better to ‘begin with small things.’ The interview, in my opinion, was a ‘big thing’ but there are other matters relating to free communication between our two countries which, in my mind, can be improved.
“As you will recall during our first meeting last June, we spent some time on the problem of the restrictions on American and Soviet newsmen in our respective countries. I do not believe these restrictions to be in the interest of either the United States or the Soviet Union. We discussed the same subject again last week in Hyannis and you expressed the belief that should the United States decide to lift its restrictions on Soviet newsmen, the Soviet Union would do likewise with regard to American newsmen. I refer specifically to the travel restrictions which have been imposed by our respective countries.
“I would like to reiterate that should the Soviet government agree to lift such travel restrictions on American newsmen, we are prepared to do the same for Soviet newsmen, on a simultaneous basis. I believe if we were to do this in the very nearest future it could be pointed out as another indication of a lessening of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union as well as the opening up of free communication between our two peoples. I have always felt that this was of the greatest possible importance.
“I would appreciate your using your influence in bringing about this agreement. I shall hold this communication in confidence until you have time to reply to it.1
“I would like, again, to thank you for making the trip to the United States; for making the interview with the President possible. Through you, please express my thanks to Chairman Khrushchev for the gifts he sent me and my family.
“My best wishes to your wife and children.
“Sincerely,
“Pierre Salinger”
- Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, USSR, Adzhubei Interview. Top Secret. Drafted by Salinger, and also sent to Bohlen and Bundy.↩
- The following day Battle sent Salinger a memorandum stating that Rusk felt the draft letter would be most helpful, but also saying that the Secretary of State did not believe that Salingerʼs letter was the right medium to raise the question of lifting restrictions on newsmen. (Ibid.)↩
- Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩