U.S. Government Response to the Riots in Poznań, June 28, 1956; Adoption by the National Security Council of NSC 5608/1, July 18, 1957; Rákosi’S Resignation as Head of the Hungarian Communist Party, July 18, 1956; Restoration of Political Rights to Gomulka in Poland, August 1956


66. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Director of Central Intelligence (Dulles), Washington, June 28, 1956, 5:55 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Prepared in the office of the Secretary of State.


67. Notes of the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting, Department of State, Washington, June 29, 1956, 9:15 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Staff Meetings: Lot 63 D 75. Secret. Drafted by Fisher Howe. According to an attendance sheet attached to the source text, among those present were the Secretary, Hoover, Murphy, Prochnow, Bowie, McCardle, Armstrong, and Elbrick.


68. Memorandum of Telephone Conversations by the Secretary of State, Washington, June 29, 1956

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau.


69. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Director of Central Intelligence (Dulles), Washington, June 29, 1956, 3:28 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau.


70. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/7–256. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Moscow, Bonn, USAREUR, and USAFE.


71. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/7–356. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Moscow, Bonn, USAFE, and USAREUR.


72. Notes on a Meeting of the Operations Coordinating Board, Washington, July 3, 1956

Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Preliminary Notes. Secret. Drafted by Richards.


73. National Security Council Report

Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, Soviet Satellites in Eastern Europe. Top Secret. At its 280th meeting on March 22, in NSC Action No. 1530, the NSC directed the Planning Board to revise NSC 174; see Document 50. For text of NSC 174, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. VIII, p. 110.

A draft of NSC 5608 by Richard H. Davis of S/P, May 11, is in Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 66 D 487, R. Davis chron. Regarding the Planning Board revisions to NSC 5608, see Document 78. The NSC discussed NSC 5608 on July 12; see Document 79. It was approved as NSC 5608/1 on July 18; see Document 80.


74. Telegram From the Legation in Romania to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.66/7–556. Confidential.


75. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Wilcox) to the Acting Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/7–656. Confidential. Drafted by Elizabeth A. Brown (IO/UNP). Also sent to Murphy; a note on the source text indicates it was seen by Hoover and Dulles. This memorandum is a reworking of a previous memorandum from Wilcox to Hoover through Murphy, July 5, in which Wilcox argued against positive action in the United Nations on Poznań on the grounds that many members would see it as interference in Poland’s domestic affairs and would be reluctant to involve themselves in essentially a propaganda issue where constructive action was unlikely. Wilcox suggested the more limited approach of raising the issue in ECOSOC and sending a note based on the ECOSOC statement to the U.N. Secretary-General for distribution. (Ibid., 748.00/7–556)


76. National Security Council Staff Study

Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, Soviet Satellites in Eastern Europe. Top Secret. A table of contents; Appendix A (charts depicting estimated strength of satellite ground, naval, and air forces); and Appendix B, “Brief Survey of the Situation in the Eastern European Satellites”, are not printed. This Staff Study was prepared in response to NSC Action No. 1530 (see footnote 7, Document 50) and circulated to the NSC for information. It was discussed on July 12; see Document 79. It was revised after that meeting and approved and released as NSC 5608/1, Document 80.


77. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Representative at the United Nations (Lodge), Washington, July 10, 1956, 5:26 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau.


78. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Elbrick) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, S/SNSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5608 series. Top Secret. Drafted by Stevens; concurred by McCardle.


79. Memorandum of Discussion at the 290th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, July 12, 1956

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on July 13.


80. National Security Council Report

Source: Department of State, S/P–NSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, Soviet Satellites in Eastern Europe. Top Secret.


81. Notes on a Meeting of the Operations Coordinating Board, Washington, July 18, 1956

Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 61 D 385, Minutes—Preliminary Notes. Secret. Drafted by Richards.


82. Telegram From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 764.00/7–1956. Limited Official Use; Priority. Repeated to Moscow and Munich.


83. Telegram From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 764.00/7–1956. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Vienna and Munich.


84. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, July 20, 1956

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/7–2056. Confidential. Drafted by Lister.


85. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/8–956. Confidential. Repeated to Moscow and Belgrade.


86. Despatch From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 764.00/8–3056. Confidential. Drafted by John T. Rogers, Second Secretary and Consul at the Legation.


88. Letter From the Secretary of State to the President

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DullesHerter Series.


89. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/9–2156. Confidential.


90. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DullesHerter Series. Limited Official Use.


91. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Chargé in Hungary (Barnes) and the Yugoslav Minister (Soldatić), Budapest, October 12, 1956

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 764.00/10–556. Confidential. Enclosure to despatch 199 from Budapest, October 16.


92. Memorandum From the Officer in Charge of Polish, Baltic, and Czechoslovak Affairs (Trivers) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Beam)

Source: Department of State, Poland Desk Files: Lot 60 D 55, General Political Affairs. Secret. Drafted by Sutterlin (EUR/EE).