152. Memorandum for the Record1
SUBJECT
- Discussion of U.S.-Russian Press Problems
PARTICIPANTS
- Mr. Pierre Salinger, The White House
- Mr. Donald Wilson, USIA
- Mr. Llewellyn E. Thompson, S/AL
- Mr. Richard Davis, EUR
- Mr. Robert Manning, P
Problems involving accreditation of American correspondents to USSR and Soviet correspondents to the United States were raised in the hope of achieving an agreed package proposal for presentation to the Soviet authorities.
Two types of problems are at issue:
- 1.
- Involving the desire of Novosti, the Soviet propaganda agency to be permitted to operate in Washington and the possible desire of USIA to establish more extensive operation in USSR.
- 2.
- The desire of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune to establish news bureaus in Moscow and the Soviet counter request for permission to open bureaus in Los Angeles and Chicago.
It was the sense of the meeting that the Novosti-USIA problem should be dealt with separately from that of bona-fide correspondents. Mr. Wilson agreed to discuss with his USIA colleagues the nature of [Page 292] possible USIA requests as quid pro quo for the granting of permission for Novosti to operate in this country. Ambassador Thompson had serious doubts that USIA would be able to get from the Russians permission to operate an open reading room or permission to engage in other activities of the sort that USIA pursues in other countries.
On the matter of the request of Los Angeles Times-Chicago Tribune, it was pointed out that the Russians have already been told that we would not open Los Angeles and Chicago to Soviet correspondents as quid pro quo for admission of these two American newspapers to Moscow. Instead the Russians were offered two more accreditations for correspondents in Washington in return for the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune accreditations to Moscow. There has been no Soviet response to this proposal and it was the opinion of Mr. Thompson that there would be no such response until the Russians received our answer to their Novosti request.
As a means of breaking the deadlock and liberalizing news policies in both countries, Mr. Salinger suggested a package proposal along the following lines:
U.S. would admit two more Soviet correspondents to Washington or New York and would open Los Angeles and Chicago for the establishment of one bureau each representing Tass or some other bona-fide Soviet news operation. In return the Soviet Union would accredit two more correspondents to Moscow (Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune) and would open Leningrad and Kiev to one bureau each for some American news organization or newspaper.
It was agreed that Mr. Salinger would informally explore with the AP and UP whether each might be interested in establishing a bureau in Leningrad or Kiev.
The meeting agreed that the package proposal was a worthwhile proposition to put to Soviet authorities. It was also agreed to solicit the opinion and guidance of Ambassador Foy Kohler after his imminent return to Washington for consultation.
Informally there was a brief discussion of the advisability of a meeting between top Soviet authorities dealing with news matters and a group made up of Mr. Salinger, Mr. Manning and Mr. Murrow at some future date, both to discuss the bulk package proposal and perhaps also to take up other grievances and restrictions affecting the work of newsmen in the two countries.
- Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 306, USIA Files: FRC 72 A 5121. Field-Sov. Bloc/63. No classification marking.↩