173. Letter From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Beam) to the President’s Special Assistant (Rockefeller)1
Dear Mr. Rockefeller: On December 9 you sent the Secretary a memorandum2 outlining a proposal for the arrest of Soviet soldiers by West Berlin police in order to counter recent Soviet moves in Berlin. We are grateful for your interest, and I am writing to give you one or two thoughts concerning your suggestion.
As you indicate, the location of the Soviet War Memorial in the British Sector of Berlin does afford the possibility for exerting some form of counter-pressure against the Soviets should an appropriate occasion arise. This possibility has in fact been considered in connection with our planning on counter-measures. However, it does not seem to us that the present situation in Berlin is such as to call for the kind of action you describe. The fact that it was the Soviet authorities who released the two American soldiers recently arrested by the East German police shows that the Soviets (to that extent and for the present, at least) are willing to act consistently with our view as to their continued occupation responsibilities in Berlin. We doubt whether this is the time to precipitate a possibly critical situation by taking action which would doubtless be regarded as provocative.
Sincerely yours,