SOCIAL CONTACTS WITH SOVIET AND IRON CURTAIN REPRESENTATIVES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040053-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 9, 2003
• Sequence Number: 53
• Publication Date: August 23, 2000
• Content Type: DISP

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TO THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON
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ACTION DEPT.
RECD OTHR _
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S vial Contacts wit Soviet an Iron Curtain Representatives
F This despatch is in reply to the Departmentts Airgram GA-409$-1
of December 23, 1954.
Post-war social and unofficial relations with Soviet represen-
25X1 tatives have fluctuated widely since the end of the ware
The relatively uncontrolled association between Western and Soviet
officials in the days of the war-time alliance began to diminish by
early 1946, With the growth of ho stility between the USSR and the
Western World in bucc eeding years, unofficial intercourse all but
terminated. Of course, joint participation of the four Occupying
Powers in the Allied Commission necessitated -!most constant contact
around the core ereuce table with each meeting being followed by the
traditional refreshment period. f-oreover, from 1.952 the custom was
established that the Element in the Chair each month held a recep-
tion at which a motion picture was shown to which all members of
the staffs of the Occupying Powers were invited.
Between 1947 and 1952, however, social engagements other than
official functions, such as state holidays, were exceedingly limited9
with private entertainment almost unknown. )ccasionaily during this
period Soviet officials who were closely associated with U.S. repre-
sentatives in the Allied Council attended a cocktail party, but only
after lengthy and obvious clearance from above. Furthermore, invi-
tations were seldom acknowledged and the American host was never
sure of Soviet attendance until the guest actually appeared. The
Soviets were careful to honor only estern social affairs for which
the guest list included representatives of all four of the Occupying
Powers. ;such political discussions as were held during this time
showed at least an occasional inkling of individual exploratory
thought as contrasted with more recent conversations, when Soviet
representatives have hewed rigidly to the sterile party line.
Beginning in 1953 after the accession of ',1ALENK 'V9 the Soviet 1
attitude quite abruptly became more liberal, Up until this time,
the Soviet Element had shown no initiative in entertaining other
than the normal refreshment periods after the Allied Council
February 15, 1955
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meeting during their months of Chairmanship, state occasions such
as the Novemr 7 anniversary of the revolion? Red Army Day
on February tag or the monthly quadripartite film showing. How-
ever? after StalinPs death the Soviet practice noticeably changed..
Not only were Soviet representatives available for invitations
to private gatherings, but they were prone to engage in extensive
political and ideological discussions. The apparent freedom of
Soviet representatives to associate with Americans actually reached
a point of occasionally accepting on-the-spot invitations for a
lunch or even for dinner after a quadripartite film showing.
At the present time there are probably more frequent social
contacts between American and Soviet personnel than in
any other "p ace in the world. During 1954, for examples over 250
quadripartite meetings were held with each followed by the customary
thirty-minute to one-hour social period. The Soviets now appear
regularly at most social functions to which normal social custom
and other circumstances would lead them to be invited. The Soviet
Deputy High Commissioner in fact seized the initiative in the
autumn of 1954 and entertained at dinner in the Soviet Embassy
the other three {=1estern Deputy High Commissioners with a limited
number of their staffs o This Soviet hospitality was reciprocated
in due course by the t.'Vestern Deputy High Commissioners. Another
notable feature of Soviet social intercourse with the Western
Elements has been the appearance of Soviet wives ' in the company
of their husbands. While Russian wives have not always come with
their husbandls, the number who do is noteworthy.
Members of the Soviet Embassy have mentioned to their U.S.
counterparts their embarrassment at being unable to entertain
properly in their limited quarters in the Grand Hotel. From
their remarks $ it appears that the Russian families there occupy
living space more in accordance with Russian standards. Hence?
Soviet entertainment never takes place in a Soviet apartment or
home but is held either at the Soviet Embassy or in their officers'
The relaxation over Soviet social intercourse with Westerners
during 1953 was accompanied by two distinct features: (a) several
of those in positions calling for most frequent contact with
Americans and other Westerners were replaced by known or suspected
MVD agents, and (b) the conversational attitude of these "social-
ites? in political discussions was tightened to conform precisely
to ",he Pravda line. In apparent preparation for this planned
expansion of`'social contacts, the Soviet Embassy acquired an
"American" expert who apparently had the task of trying to coor-
dinate the relationships below ministerial level. This was
Mr. Mikhail GORSCHAKOV9 whose English is untainted by any accent
other than Brooklynese$ although he continues to deny that he has
ver passed by the Statue of Liberty. Certain Soviet diplomatic]
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Erom
in American social functions and indicated that invitations
would. be welcome. There is no present intention to meet his
desire, although the Chiefs of satellite missions are included
in the Embassy's invitation list for July Atha
The Embassy has in the past made it a practice to obtain
personnel appeared to be pre-selected for contacts with Americans, I
and are well briefed on the biographic data of those Americans
they are scheduled to meet.
There have been several instances in the past two months
which may be indicative of a Soviet "cooling-off" towards Ameri-
cans ___although the Embassy is not yet prepared to draw
any conclusions. For instance, Counselor of Embassy TIMOSHCHENKO
recently explained the lack of Soviet diplomatic participation
in a program of international political discussion held by the
n the grounds that it was "extremely difficult"
or him to persuade the younger Soviet diplomats to attend meetings
at which Americans were present, in view of the current U.S. atti-
tude on the Paris Agreements. Other cases include inability of
the Soviet representatives to accept dinner invitations. On the
other hand, most Soviet officials remain cordial towards American
representatives, (Embassy tele- 25X1
gram No. 1726# ate February a w1ii nave a ny effect re-
mains to be seen. In considering the prospects for future social
intercourse between American and Soviet personnel as requested in
the ultimate paragraph of the referenced airgram, the Embassy ex-
pects that future relations with Soviet representatives will be
`iaintain ed and developed on about the same level as in recent
monthso
cial contact with satellite diplomatic representatives in
is much more limited, perhaps more through circumstance
t an design. Coincidence of interests, either social or official,
is rare,, and the tendency is to seek out the Soviets as spokesmen
for the iron curtain bloco However, recently a Rumanian.Legation
official attending a party given by an American correspondent
complained that the satellite diplomats were consistently ignored
officers and interpreters associat
tram
sonnel a memorandum of remarks of any s
ing with the Soviet per-
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In response to the Departments s air Z ram the Ambassador has
designated Counselor of Embassy o coordinate
social contacts between American and Soviet personnel and the
subsequent reporting thereon.' This coordination will include
staffs of USOM USIA $ the Army, as well as the Embassy.
There is attached hereto as Enclosure 1 a representative
list of despatches sent by the Embassy which reflect the results
of past Soviet/American contacts a
For the Charge d'Affaires a.
Richard H. Dav a
Counselor of Embassy
Enclosure.-
1. Partial List of Embassy
Despatches which Report on
Contacts Between U .S. and
Soviet Representatives
Copies to:
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