Office of the Historian

February-March 1962: Final Meetings Between Ambassador Thompson and Foreign Minister Gromyko; Beginning of the Crisis Over Air Access to Berlin

281. Memorandum for the Record

Washington, February 7, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-762. Secret. Prepared by Kohler.

282. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Kohler) to Secretary of State Rusk

Washington, February 7, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/2-762. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Hillenbrand and also initialed by Kohler.

283. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 8, 1962, 6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-862. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Repeated to London, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, USAREUR, USAFE, and CINCEUR.

284. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Moscow, February 9, 1962, 7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/2-962. Confidential; Priority.

285. Message From the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (Norstad) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Lemnitzer)

Paris, February 9, 1962, 1:30 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Norstad Papers, Policy File, Berlin-Live Oak, 1962. Secret. A notation on the source text indicates that Stoessel and Generals Baker and Moore “assisted in drafting.”

286. Letter From the Ambassador to Yugoslavia (Kennan) to the Ambassador to the Soviet Union (Thompson)

Belgrade, February 9, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/2-962. Confidential; Official-Informal.

287. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Policy Planning Council (Rostow) to Secretary of State Rusk

Washington, February 10, 1962.

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Germany, Berlin. Secret. The source text bears no drafting information. Copies were sent to Bohlen, Kohler, Bundy, and Chayes.

288. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Moscow, February 12, 1962, 5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/2-1262. Secret; Priority.

289. Memorandum of Conversation

Washington, February 13, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1-WA/2-1362. Secret. Drafted by Imhof, initialed by Imhof and Kohler, and approved in S on March 5.

290. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Rusk and the President’s Special Representative in Berlin (Clay)

February 14, 1962, 2:50 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/2-1462. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Kohler and approved in S. Secretary Rusk was in Washington; General Clay was in Berlin. Attached to the source text was a 2-page transcript of the conversation.

291. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Kohler) to Secretary of State Rusk

Washington, February 14, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-1462. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Kohler. Copies were sent to Bundy, Lemnitzer, Nitze, Hillenbrand, and Ausland.

292. National Security Action Memorandum No. 128

Washington, February 14, 1962.

Source: Department of State, NSAMs: Lot 72 D 316, NSAM 128. Secret. Copies were sent to McNamara, Taylor, Lemnitzer, McCone, and the Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board.

293. Telegram From the Mission at Berlin to the Department of State

Berlin, February 14, 1962, midnight.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-1462. Secret; Priority. Received at 12:30 a.m. on February 15. Also sent to Bonn and repeated to London, Moscow, Paris, POLADUSAREUR, and USAFE.

295. Memorandum of Conversation

Washington, February 15, 1962, noon.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.5400/2-1562. Secret. Drafted by Holloway and initialed by Holloway and Kohler. The meeting was held in Kohler’s office at the Department of State.

296. Letter From President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev

Washington, February 15, 1962.

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 77 D 163. The source text bears no drafting information, but on February 12 Bohlen had sent a “first draft” of this letter, which was the same in substance but 3 pages longer. (Ibid.)

297. Telegram From the Mission at Berlin to the Department of State

Berlin, February 17, 1962, 11 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-1762. Secret; Priority. Received at 8:30 a.m. Repeated to Bonn, Paris, London, Moscow, and POLADUSAREUR.

298. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 17, 1962, 2 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.5612/2-1862. Top Secret; Limit Distribution. Received at 2:53 a.m. on February 18.

299. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 19, 1962, 5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-1962. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Received at 3:08 p.m. Repeated to London, Paris, Moscow, Berlin, USAFE, and USCINCEUR.

300. Memorandum of Conversation

Washington, February 19, 1962, 4:30 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/2-1962. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by Hillenbrand and approved by the White House on March 5 and in S on February 23. A summary of this conversation was transmitted to Bonn in telegram 2283, February 19. (Ibid., 611.62A/2-1962) Memoranda of the President’s conversations with Grewe on Adenauer’s meeting with de Gaulle, German vested assets, and German purchase of U.N. bonds are in the Kennedy Library, President’s Office Files, France, and Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149.

301. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 19, 1962, 7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 651.62A/2-1962. Secret; Limit Distribution. Received at 4:55 p.m.

302. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Moscow, February 20, 1962, 1 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.0221/2-2062. Confidential; Eyes Only. Received at 10:06 a.m.

303. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 20, 1962, 5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-2062. Secret; Limit Distribution. Received at 2:44 p.m. Also sent to Paris and repeated to London and Berlin.

304. Memorandum of Conference With President Kennedy

Washington, February 21, 1962, 9:30 a.m.

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Chester V. Clifton Series, Conferences with the President. Top Secret. The source text bears no drafting information. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room of the White House.

305. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 23, 1962, 11 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.62A/2-2362. Secret; Priority.

307. Telegram From the Mission at Berlin to the Department of State

Berlin, February 28, 1962, 6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-2862. Secret; Priority. Received at 4:09 p.m. Repeated to Bonn.

308. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State

Bonn, February 28, 1962, 5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 962.72/2-2862. Secret. Received at 8:34 p.m. Repeated to London, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow.

309. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Washington, March 1, 1962, 6:01 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.61/3-162. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Hillenbrand; cleared by Rusk (in draft), Guthrie, Bohlen, and the White House; and approved and initialed by Kohler. Repeated to Paris, London, Bonn, and Berlin.

310. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Washington, March 1, 1962, 6:48 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3-162. Secret; Priority; Eyes Only. Drafted by Hillenbrand and the final paragraph in the White House; cleared by Rusk (in draft), Bohlen, and the White House; and initialed and approved by Kohler.