Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Europe: Political and Economic Developments, Volume IV, Part 2

No. 770

601.6111/3–151

The Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations ( McFall) to Representative Thomas J. Lane ¹

[Washington,] March 20, 1951.

My Dear Mr. Lane: Reference is made to your letter of March 1, 1951,² acknowledged by telephone on March 9, 1951, forwarding for the Department’s comment a copy of the remarks which you made in the House of Representatives on March 1. In these remarks you recommend that the official personnel which the Soviet Government sends to the United States and the travel of this personnel in the United States be placed on a reciprocal basis with regard to the number of official personnel of the United States in the Soviet Union and the travel privileges of American official personnel in that country.

Your remarks refer to two important questions concerning United States-Soviet relations which are under continual consideration in the Department. The comments of the Department with regard to these matters are presented in the following paragraphs.

The exchange of official representatives between two governments is rarely susceptible to treatment on a numerical parity basis. In almost every instance one country or the other will require a larger official establishment. Actually the variety of functions which the American Foreign Service is expected to perform, including complex visa and passport services and a wide range of reporting on political and economic subjects, is so great that the diplomatic and consular offices of the United States in any foreign country tend to be larger than that country’s official representation in the United States.

An analysis of the number of Soviet officials in the United States reported to the Department of State by the Soviet Embassy up to March 5, 1951 and comparable American personnel in the Soviet Union as of the same date indicates that Soviet and United States official representation is practically on a parity basis. This analysis includes Embassy officials, correspondents and commercial representatives of the two countries. It excludes Soviet representation to International Organizations in the United States which have no counterpart in the Soviet Union.

There are enclosed two sheets which present United States official personnel in the Soviet Union and Soviet personnel in the United States as of March 5, 1951. You will note that the Soviet list carries a comparative list of Soviet personnel in the United States as of July 1, 1950. While on the face of these lists there appears to be a numerical disparity in representation in favor of the Soviet Union, an analysis of the figures gives a different picture. On March 5 the United States Government had official personnel numbering 101 with 16 dependents assigned to the American Embassy in Moscow. The Soviet counterpart of this figure is official Soviet personnel numbering 88, with 125 dependents (70 wives and 55 children) assigned to the Soviet Embassy in Washington. Thus, the United States has 13 more official employees in the American Embassy in Moscow than the Soviet Government has in the Soviet Embassy in Washington. Since no international organization of which the United States is a member has its headquarters in the Soviet Union, there can be no United States personnel in the Soviet Union comparable to the Soviet personnel assigned to the United Nations; namely, 121 (52 official employees, 38 wives, 31 children). If from the 381 total Soviet official personnel in the United States, there is subtracted 121, which is the Soviet representation, including dependents, to the United Nations, and 153 which represents Soviet dependents in the United States other than dependents of Soviet United Nations employees, the total Soviet official employees in the United States would amount to 107, 6 more than the 101 United States official employees in the Soviet Union, minus dependents.

With regard to Soviet restrictions on the travel of foreigners, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is divided into “free” and prohibited areas for diplomatic and consular personnel of foreign nations in the Soviet Union. Foreign officials on duty in Moscow may not travel more than 50 kilometers from the city limits with the exception of three points of historic interest to which foreigners may travel after appropriate notification to the Foreign Office. In general, all border areas and all of the Central Asian Republics, the Caucasus with the exception of Tbilisi, the Baltic States, and the western areas of the Ukraine and Belorussia including the capital cities of Kiev and Minsk are within the zones prohibited to foreign officials. Although most of the Siberian area is technically “free”, in practice it is greatly restricted owing to the fact that the important cities are forbidden areas. In order to travel to “free” areas foreign missions must notify the Foreign Office in advance of the name and the itinerary of the traveler. Under this procedure, members of the Embassy’s staff in Moscow have been able to make frequent trips to “free” areas during the past two years.

The question of applying travel control measures to Soviet official personnel in the United States is under constant review by the United States Government agencies concerned. Restrictions upon the travel of Soviet officials will be imposed whenever it is evident that such action is in the over-all interest of the United States.

Sincerely yours,

Jack K. McFall

[Enclosure 1]

Report Prepared in the Department of State

Total U.S. Official Personnel in the Soviet Union March 5, 1951

Embassy:
State Department	64
Navy Attaché Staff	13
Army Attaché Staff	18
Air Force Attaché Staff	6
Dependents	16
	117
U.S. Non-Official Personnel in the Soviet Union
Clergymen	1
Newspaper Correspondents	6
Businessmen (composed at present of fur buyers—an approximation)	2
	9
Grand total		126

Breakdown of figures used in the compilation “Total US official personnel in the Soviet Union March 5, 1951” attached hereto:

State Department:
Male Employees including Ambassador,
Foreign Service Officers	15
Foreign Service Reserve Officers	1
Foreign Service Staff Personnel	25
Female Employees, unmarried (Foreign Service Staff)	8
Working Wives (Foreign Service Staff)	15
Total working personnel	64
Dependents (non-working—includes 2 wives and 9 children)	11
Total State Department		75
Navy Department:
Naval Officers	5
Enlisted Men	8
Total	13
Dependents (2 wives included in “working wives” above and 1 daughter included in “Female Employees, Unmarried” above—1 dependent child)	4
Total Navy Department		14
Department of the Army:
Officers	5
Warrant Officers	1
Enlisted Men	12
Total	18
Dependents (2 wives included in “Working wives” above; 2 dependent wives)	4
Total Army		20
Air Force:
Officers	3
Enlisted Men	3
Total	6
Dependents (1 wife included in “Working Wives” above; 1 wife and 1 dependent child)	3
Total for Air Force		8
Grand total		117

[Enclosure 2]

Report Prepared in the Department of State

[March 5, 1951]

Soviet Officials in U.S.A. as of March 5, 1951^*

		Comparative figures July 1, 1950
Summary
Embassy Personnel	88	† 86
International organizations	52	59
Purchasing commission	2	2
Tass	7	7
Pravda Correspondents	2	2
Amtorg	7	17
Correspondents of Ail-Union Radio Committee of USSR	1	1
Wives	124	132
Children	98	103
Dependent relative	0	1
Grand total‡	381	410
Breakdown
Embassy of the USSR:
Accredited Officers of Embassy	40	39
Employees of the Embassy	48	47
	88	86
Wives of Embassy Officers	32	31
Wives of Embassy Employees	38	38
	70	69
Children of Embassy Officers	23	24
Children of Embassy Employees	32	28
	55	52
Dependent Relative of Embassy Personnel	0	1
	0	1
Total Embassy	213	208
United Nations:
USSR Representation to UN	49	55
Wives of USSR Representatives	35	39
Children	30	37
	114	131
USSR Members Military Staff Com.	3	4
Wives of members of Military Staff Committee	3	4
Children	1	2
	7	10
Total United Nations	121	141
Government Organizations:
Purchasing Commission	2	2
Wives of Members	2	2
Children	2	2
	6	6
Tass Employees	7	7
Wives	6	6
Children	5	3
	18	16
Pravda Correspondents	2	2
Wives	2	1
Children	1	0
	5	3
Ail-Union Radio Committee Correspondents	1	1
Wives	1	1
Children	2	1
	4	3
Amtorg Employees	7	17
Wives	5	10
Children	2	6
	14	33
Total Governmental Organizations	47	61
Grand Total	‡381	410

1. Drafted by James (EUR/EE) and approved by Reinhardt (EUR/EE) and Davis (EUR/EE). According to the source text, the letter was “rewritten at H direction.” The letter and its enclosures were subsequently printed in Department of State Bulletin, April 23, 1951, pp. 649–651.
2. This letter transmitted a copy of Representative Lane’s remarks delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives that day and asked the Secretary of State to “kindly furnish me with your official pronouncement in response to the suggestions contained therein.” (601.6111/3–151)
3. Figures based on Note 8 of January 27, 1951 from Soviet Embassy reporting Soviet citizens, employees of Soviet State institutions, Soviet missions, and other organizations to be found in the USA as of January 1, 1951 and Note 7 of January 24, 1951 and Note 11 of February 7, 1951 which showed further personnel changes. [Footnote in the source text.]
4. Soviet officials in U.S.A. as of July 1, 1950. Figures based on Note No. 113 of July 13, 1950. Soviet Embassy reporting Soviet citizens, employees and other organizations in the U.S. as of July 1, 1950. [Footnote in the source text.]
5. In addition to this total, there are 12 Soviet citizens employed by the Secretariat of the United Nations who are accompanied by 12 wives and 6 children (Total 30). [Footnote in the source text.]
6. In addition to this total, there are 12 Soviet citizens employed by the Secretariat of the United Nations who are accompanied by 12 wives and 6 children (Total 30). [Footnote in the source text.]