14. Editorial Note
On March 15 Assistant Secretary of State Kohler hosted a working luncheon for Deputy Foreign Minister Semenov. Kohler opened their conversation by stating that since he and Semenov were primarily responsible for Germany at the working level, it might be useful to talk about it informally. Following a brief exchange on the need to clarify whatever points could be clarified, Kohler turned to the Soviet harassments in the air corridors to Berlin, and stated that the Soviet Union seemed to be making a deliberate attempt to interfere with Western access. Semenov stressed that everything the Soviet Union was doing was [Page 45] perfectly legal, but after being confronted with all the details, he came close to admitting the charge.
Kohler and Semenov spent a considerable amount of time discussing the meaning of “respect for the sovereignty of the GDR” and how this might be reconciled with free access to Berlin. Then Kohler presented in broad outline the U.S. concept of a modus vivendi. At the end of the conversation Semenov thanked Kohler for his views, but concluded that the United States still was not taking into account the Soviet position on West Berlin.
A 17-page memorandum of this conversation (SecDel MC/24), March 17, is in Department of State, Central Files, 762.00/3–1562.