The CHAIRMAN. Now there is a proposition. If Dulles agrees, will you go along? Senator SPARKMAN. I wouldn't vote for the amendment if he agreed, but I certainly feel it would be on safer ground if he came along. Senator SMITH. I can take it up with him. Senator SPARKMAN. And state to him the opposition here in the committee to it. Senator FERGUSON. Mr. Chairman, Senator Langer says he can be here at 3 o'clock. Senator SPARKMAN. I am not proposing that we wait. THE AMENDMENT CARRIED The CHAIRMAN. All right, you can call the roll. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Smith. Senator SMITH. Aye. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Hickenlooper. Senator HICKENLOOPER. Aye. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Tobey. [No response.] Mr. HOLT. Mr. Taft. Senator SPARKMAN. No. I have his proxy. The CHAIRMAN. Aye. What is the result? Mr. HOLT. Eight to six. The CHAIRMAN. Eight to six. The question now is on reporting the Senator FERGUSON. I would like to bring up the matter of amending the resolution on the words, strike out the word "the" and put in "a" and "just." Senator HUMPHREY. Question. The CHAIRMAN. All right. All those in favor of that motion raise. your right hands. [There was a showing of hands.] The CHAIRMAN. Contrary? [There was a showing of hands.] The CHAIRMAN. The vote is four in favor; eight against. The motion is lost. Any other motion? MOTION TO REPORT CARRIED Senator KNOWLAND. I move that the resolution be reported as amended. Senator SMITH. I second the motion. The CHAIRMAN. All right, gentlemen. Call the roll. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Smith. Senator SMITH. Aye. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Hickenlooper. Senator HICKENLOOPER. Aye. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Tobey. [No response.] Mr. HOLT. Mr. Taft. Senator TAFT. Aye. Senator LANGER. Aye. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Ferguson. Senator FERGUSON. I am going to vote aye, but with the understand ing that it is not binding on me on the floor. Mr. HOLT. Mr. Knowland. Senator KNOWLAND. Aye. Mr. HOLT. Mr. George. The CHAIRMAN. Aye. What have you got? Mr. HOLT. Eight to six. The CHAIRMAN. The motion is carried. Gentlemen, if there is no further business, the meeting stands adjourned. The secretary will report what took place. Senator TAFT. Mr. Chairman, one question. I was pretty frank in discussing this political situation, and I don't mind it being embalmed for posterity, but I would rather have it taken out of the record. I don't want it to be used against me, and I think anybody who doesn't want anything said in the record ought to have that right. The CHAIRMAN. Any member can come in and correct his own testimony, but not the testimony of anyone else. [Whereupon, at 12:20 p.m., the committee adjourned.] REPORT BY THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE [Editor's note: On the night of March 1-2, 1953, Stalin suffered an incapacitating stroke from which he never recovered. His illness was announced to the world on March 4 and he died on March 5. This meeting with Under Secretary Smith was called to discuss the import of this event.] THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1953 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a.m. in the Foreign Relations Committee room, U.S. Capitol Building, Senator Alexander Wiley [Chairman] presiding. Present: Senators Wiley [Chairman], Smith of New Jersey, Hickenlooper, Taft, Ferguson, Knowland, George, Fulbright, Sparkman, Gillette, Humphrey, and Mansfield. Also present: Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Kalijarvi, Mr. Marcy, Mr. Holt, Mr. O'Day, and Mr. Cahn, of the committee staff. DELAY IN PUBLICATION OF BOHLEN'S TESTIMONY REQUESTED The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. First, I want to say, gentlemen, that I have received the following letter from John Foster Dulles, dated the 4th: I have been informed by Mr. [Charles E.] Bohlen on the decision of your Committee, before which he appeared on Monday, to the effect that his testimony, after suitable revisions and corrections, would be made public in a committee report.1 The announcement of the serious if not mortal illness of Stalin and the impossibilty of predicting at the present time of the consequences which might flow therefrom have caused me to question the desirability at this time of making public the testimony of our Ambassador-designate to Moscow. I would be grateful to you if you would find it possible to ask the committee to reconsider its decision regarding the publication of Mr. Bohlen's testimony until a more appropriate time which could be decided by consultation between us. It is my understanding that the publication of Mr. Bohlen's testimony is not required to act upon his nomination. In the circumstances, I would hope that a reconsideration of the committee's decision on publication would not delay action on Mr. Bohlen's nomination. Sincerely yours, Now, that letter speaks for itself. JOHN FOSTER DULLES. I am informed by our secretary that Mr. Bohlen had gotten a transcript of the testimony and was in process of revising it when the announcement of Stalin's mortal illness came up, and the result of that was this letter. 1 Boblen testified before the committee on March 2 at a confirmation hearing on his nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union. See p. 203 above. Apparently there are certain things in this testimony that they feel, I guess, might be very serious; and there is another question: In talking to Mr. Bohlen about this, he said also that in view of the present world situation, that if he were to revise it at this time, that he would probably have to take out so much of that testimony that, in reading it, it would be rather difficult to get a grasp of the whole picture. Now, that is the situation. I told him that the whole matter would go over until Tuesday. I lay this before you for your consideration. Meanwhile, Mr. Bohlen has the testimony and is working on the revision, and at that time you can decide whether you want it printed. Senator TAFT. I think we ought to agree with the Secretary. Senator GEORGE. I think we should postpone the publication of it anyway. Senator TAFT. I think we ought to agree with him. Senator FULBRIGHT. I agree with that and I so move. Senator SPARKMAN. I second that. Senator HUMPHREY. Second it. The CHAIRMAN. Is there any objection? Senator HUMPHREY. I was the mover on the motion to have Mr. Bohlen testify, and I feel that if the Secretary of State requests a matter like this to be reconsidered, we ought to comply. Senator TAFT. He says until a later date; you can bring it up again. The CHAIRMAN. If there is no objection, the previous motion is reconsidered and, for the time being, the matter will not be printed. [There was no objection expressed.] ACTION ON THE BOHLEN NOMINATION The CHAIRMAN. Now, General Smith, we are very happy to have you here, and perhaps you can discuss not only the situation upon which you are appearing here today, such information which you can get from the CIA, as the former head of it, but you can also give us some information on this subject that I think is important, and that is, if you have consulted with the Secretary, you probably have, whether or not action should be delayed on Mr. Bohlen's nomination, or whether it should be hurried up, and any considerations to go over until Tuesday. I would like to get your judgment, if it is based upon the judgment of the Secretary and yourself, as to the advisability of hurrying up that confirmation, or delaying it in view of these world events. STATEMENT OF HON. WALTER BEDELL SMITH, UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE, ACCOMPANIED BY HORACE SMITH, SENATE LIAISON REPRESENTATIVE, DEPARTMENT OF STATE Mr. SMITH. Mr. Chairman, I have consulted with him and am glad to have a chance to mention this. We feel, in view of this crisis, and it is a crisis, unquestionably, that everything possible should be done to expedite it. The sooner we get him there, the better, because there is going to be a very unusual series of developments, one way or the other, and Mr. Bohlen, of course, is the man probably best qualified that we have at the present time, and available to go there and make reports during this critical period. Anything that can be done to expedite that confirmation, and get him on his way, will be to our advantage. Senator TAFT. Who do you have in charge there now? Mr. SMITH. Jacob Beam.1 Senator TAFT. Is that B-e-a-m? Mr. SMITH. В-e-a-m. Senator FERGUSON. Has he been in Yugoslavia, Belgrade? Senator TAFT. Is he a counsellor? Mr. SMITH. Yes, a rather young officer. This is his first tour in Russia. He was at headquarters during the war, assisting as a political adviser, and I met him and he is a very, very fine chap. He doesn't know Russian and doesn't speak Russian. Senator SMITH of New Jersey. Might I ask if Beam is a nephew of Reilly Prince, who was formerly in Yugoslavia? Mr. SMITH. I don't know. Senator HUMPHREY. Why can't we, Mr. Chairman, confirm Mr. Bohlen, to expedite this matter? Senator SPARKMAN. Where is Villard now? Mr. SMITH. I don't know. Senator SPARKMAN. He was in Moscow. Mr. SMITH. I don't know. Senator SPARKMAN. I will ask Mr. Horace Smith: Do you know where he is? Mr. HORACE SMITH. No, I think he is in North Africa. Senator SPARKMAN. I think we ought to do it. Senator FERGUSON. Why don't we hold that until we finish hearing from General Smith? The CHAIRMAN. Certainly there is no such haste but what within the next few days, Tuesday, could do just as well. Meanwhile, we will see what the developments are. Senator KNOWLAND. I think in the meanwhile we ought to give some consideration, the Under Secretary should also talk with the Secretary of State as to whether it would be advisable, if that transcript cannot be properly edited, to have some kind of information that could be on the desk of the Senators. All I want to avoid is some question being raised, when we will have nothing before us, no hearing and the rest of it, which might be a point; and, whether it would be necessary to hold another hearing and let it go into his own background and capabilities, which, I understand, but which the Senate, without some kind of a hearing, even though a brief one, might start raising an issue, and I think that ought to be considered by the Department. Senator TAFT. I would not object to having a special meeting tomorrow, or something of that sort, if the haste is so great; but I think Senator Langer and one or two others said that they were not given any notice that it will be taken up here today. 1 In October 1952, Ambassador George Kennan was declared persona non grata by the Soviet Government and recalled. This followed a September speech given by Kennan in Berlin in which he compared conditions in the Soviet Union with those in Nazi Germany. 72-194-77-vol. V- -17 |