Office of the Historian

213. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State0

Moscow, July 19, 1962, noon.

170. At reception for editors yesterday Yuri Zhukov took me aside for farewell talk. He expressed opinion our relations were particularly bad at this time. He said Presidentʼs failure to send message to Peace Congress1 combined with statements in US implying possibility preventive [Page 463] war had made very bad impression here. He pointed out this Congress had allowed full expression of different points of view and said Soviets had difficult time preventing African and other countries from introducing specific anti-colonial themes in final resolution. He said Khrushchev needed help and was faced with strong opposition to his policies. He thought some gesture was needed and in this connection expressed satisfaction that President had personally received Dobrynin.2 In discussion exchange program when I urged increased Soviet tourists to US he suggested proceeding with air transport agreement which he thought would not only increase flow of Soviet tourists but would be important gesture with helpful effect on our relations.3

Zhukov said Soviets had been greatly encouraged by first reports of Project Vela4 but had been dismayed by subsequent statement by Dept Spokesman which appeared to counteract initial statement in Geneva by Dean.5 I said I thought this was simply explained by the fact this highly technical matter and some time was required to evaluate data before they could be translated into political position.

When Zhukov said would be fine thing to reach agreement on testing I said I had always assumed that on this issue Soviets were particularly concerned about possible spread of nuclear weapons to Chinese and West Germans and I had also assumed that Chinese had made clear their unwillingness to go along with any agreement. Zhukov replied with some heat and great emphasis that Soviet Union wanted test ban agreement and neither Chinese nor anyone else would prevent them from concluding one. I said there appeared to be some hope that results of Project Vela would make easier solution of problem of observation posts but it was clear that in cases of doubt on-site inspection would be necessary. Zhukov replied he was aware of this problem and it could be discussed and perhaps resolved by use of neutrals.

Thompson
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.61/7-1962. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Geneva.↩
  2. The World Congress on General Disarmament and Peace, which Khrushchev addressed at Moscow on July 10.↩
  3. For a memorandum of Dobryninʼs conversation with the President on July 17, see Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, vol. XV, pp. 223–224.↩
  4. On July 20 President Kennedy called Tyler to ask about going ahead with the air transport agreement. The following day Bohlen called Bundy to say that nothing should be done until the United States had received some commitment from the Soviet Union on West Berlin. (Memorandum to Bundy, July 27; Department of State, Central Files, 611.6194/7-2762) The same day the Department of State informed the Embassy in Moscow along similar lines. (Telegram 200; ibid.)↩
  5. Regarding the Vela project for detecting underground nuclear explosions, see Document 209 and Documents on Disarmament, 1962, vol. II, pp. 633-635.↩
  6. For text of Deanʼs statement before the Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee, see ibid., pp. 670-676.↩