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

No. 632

511.004/6–251

Memorandum of Conversation, by Valdemar N. L. Johnson of the Office of Eastern European Affairs

confidential

[Washington,] June 2, 1951.

Subject: Increasing friendly attitude of certain Western European and South American countries toward the Baltic States.

Participants:	Mr. Johannes Kaiv, Acting Consul General of Estonia in New York City in Charge of Legation.
	EE—Mr. Johnson

Mr. Kaiv initiated a conversation on the above subject today during the ceremonies which were held in New York City in connection with the inauguration of VOA Estonian language broadcasts.¹

He began by saying that he was deeply grateful for the consistent position maintained during the past eleven years by the US Government in not recognizing the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the USSR. He observed that the Department, of course, had previously been aware of his gratitude but that he wished to express it again on this occasion because the inauguration of VOA broadcasts in the Baltic languages was a clear affirmation of the well-known US policy toward Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. He added that, in his opinion, the broadcasts would enhance further the “influence” which US policy toward the Baltic States has recently exerted on the attitude of certain Western European and South American governments towards the representatives of the pre-1940 Baltic Governments. He observed that US policy in this regard had always served as an important “example” to other countries of the free world but that perceptible “influence” of American policy on this question had not been evident until recently. He then proceeded to note the following examples of evident results of such “influence”.

Mr. Kaiv referred to the fact that the Department had on occasion furnished to various American attorneys certifications concerning the attitude of the US Government towards Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stating, for example, that the US did not recognize the incorporation of the Baltic States into the USSR and continued to recognize the diplomatic and consular representatives of those countries in the US, that treaties and agreements between the US and the Baltic States were considered to be in full force and effect, etc. He said that his Political Advisor, former Foreign Minister of Estonia, Mr. Kaarel Pusta, had taken with him on his trip to Europe during the summer of 1950 photostatic copies of such certifications and had shown them to officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of various Western European countries, especially France and Italy, and that those officials had been visibly impressed with this evidence of forthright American policy on this question. Mr. Kaiv stated that Mr. Pusta’s “negotiations” with those officials had been assisted by these documents and that in subsequent “negotiations” the authorities of those governments had shown a friendlier attitude than before.

As a result of the favorable impression made on the officials of Western European governments by the photostatic copies carried by Mr. Pusta, Mr. Kaiv said that he had thought it advisable to send similar copies to the official Estonian Mission in Brazil with the suggestion that the documents be shown to officials of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at an appropriate time. According to Mr. Kaiv, this had been done and had brought the expected favorable results.

Mr. Kaiv noted that a similar favorable impression had been made on officials of the Swedish Foreign Office late in 1949 when the Department through the American Embassy at Stockholm had asked the Swedish Foreign Office for information concerning the agreements made by Sweden with the USSR for the settlement of claims relating to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (see the Department’s instruction to Stockholm No. 103 of November 19, 1949 and Stockholm’s despatch No. 178 of February 16, 1950²). According to Estonian sources in Sweden, the Swedish authorities on the occasion had been impressed and subsequently influenced by the obvious friendly attitude of the US Government toward the Baltic States.

Mr. Kaiv reiterated that the inauguration of VOA programs in the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian languages would, of course, influence the Western European and South American countries still more towards friendly relations with the Baltic diplomatic representatives.

1. The Voice of America inaugurated daily 15-minute broadcasts in Estonian and Latvian on June 3. The inaugural Estonian and Latvian programs included special messages by Assistant Secretary of State Barrett, Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois, Representative O. K. Armstrong of Missouri, Estonian Acting Consul General Kaiv, and Latvian Chargé Feldmans. Barrett’s statement on the Estonian program read in part as follows:

   “The Estonian people have been deprived of their freedom and liberty since the fateful summer of 1940. The people and the Government of the United States have consistently advocated the freedom of choice of the people of Estonia, as to their form of government and way of life.

   “This policy was officially expressed in a statement issued by the United States Government on July 23, 1940. . . . The adherence of the United States to the fundamental principles expressed at that time is indicated by the fact that this government has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia into the USSR and continues to recognize the diplomatic and consular representatives of Estonia in the U.S.”

   A similar statement was made on the Latvian program. For text of the statements on the June 3 programs, see Department of State Press Release No. 466, June 2, 1951; for a summary description, see Department of State Bulletin, June 11, 1951, p. 947.

   Earlier, the Voice of America inaugurated Lithuanian language transmissions on February 16, Lithuanian Independence Day. On that inaugural Lithuanian program, Assistant Secretary Barrett made a statement regarding Lithuania similar to his June 3 statements regarding Estonia and Latvia. Regarding the inaugural Lithuanian broadcast, see ibid., February 26, 1951, p. 354.

2. Neither printed.