Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XV, Berlin Crisis, 1962–1963

191. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union⁰

Washington, May 25, 1963, 12:37 p.m.

2551. Moscow’s 2957.¹ Concur in line you took with Zorin re Adenauer presence in Berlin. Request you inform Zorin we are surprised that Soviets would wish raise at this juncture propriety of Chancellor Adenauer’s being in West Berlin at time of President’s visit and that we do not see how this could be considered in any way “provocative” or as prejudicial to US-Soviet talks.

Believe you should also, in interest setting record straight, take direct issue with Zorin’s statement to you that East Berlin is “part of GDR and no one had ever disputed this.” You could recall to him in this connection following passage in Embassy’s note to Soviet FonOff of August 17, 1961:² “It (US Govt) reiterates that it does not accept the pretension that the Soviet Sector of Berlin forms a part of the so-called ‘German Democratic Republic’ and that Berlin is situated on its territory. Such a pretension is in itself a violation of the solemnly pledged word of the USSR in the agreement on the Zones of Occupation in Germany and the administration of Greater Berlin.” Identical notes were sent by UK and France. You should stress that this has always been and still remains our clear position on this issue.

FYI. German Embassy here has made inquiries of Dept re our attitude toward Zorin démarche, which FRG Embassy Moscow had already reported. We are informing Germans here of tenor above instructions to you.

Rusk

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/Kennedy. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Creel on May 24; cleared by Penberthy, Davis, Bundy (in substance), and Guthrie and Thompson (in draft); and approved by Tyler. Repeated to Berlin and Bonn.
1. Document 190.
2. For text of this note, see Documents on Germany, 1944–1985, pp. 777–778.