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DOCUMENTS ON GERMANY, 1944-59
to and from Berlin as guaranteed in the New York and Paris Four-
Power Agreements.
The Secretary concluded by expressing his gratification for the con-
tinuing steadfastness of the people of Berlin. He welcomed the assur-
ance of the Mayor that under his leadership the city will continue to
perform its unique mission both as a manifestation of the values and
cultural achievements of the free world, and also as a link between the
free peoples and those not now able to exercise their fundamental
human rights.
Note from the Polish Foreign Minister (Rapacki) to the American
Ambassador (Beam), on the Establishment of a Denuclearized
Zone, February 14, 1958'
I wish to refer to the conversation which I had on December 9,
1957, with the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States
in Warsaw. In this conversation I have presented the position of the
Polish Government in respect to the tendencies to make the nuclear
armaments in Europe universal and particularly towards the accelera-
tion of armaments in Western Germany. The threat of further com-
plications, primarily in Central Europe, where the opposing military
groupings come into a direct contact and the apparent danger of an
increase in the international tension have prompted the Polish Gov-
ernment to initiate at that time direct discussions trough diplomatic
channels on the Polish proposal submitted to the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly on October 2, 1957, concerning the establishment of a
denuclearized zone in Central Europe.
This proposal has evoked a wide interest in government and politi-
cal circles as well as in the broad strata of public opinion in many
countries.
Taking into account a number of opinions expressed in declarations
made in connection with the Polish proposal and with the view to
facilitate negotiations, the Polish Government has resolved to present
a more detailed elaboration of its proposal. This finds its expression
in the attached memorandum which is simultaneously being trans-
mitted by the Polish Government to the governments of France,
Great Britain and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as well as
to the governments of other interested countries.
The Polish Government is conscious of the fact that the solution
of the problem of disarmament on a world-wide scale requires, first
of all, negotiations among the great powers and other countries con-
cerned. Therefore, the Polish Government supports the proposal of
the U.S.S.R. government concerning a meeting on the highest level
of leading statesmen with the participation of heads of governments.
Such a meeting could also result in reaching an agreement on the
question of the establishment of a denuclearized zone in Central Eur-
ope, should an agreement among the countries concerned not be reached
in the meantime. In any event the initiation at present of discus-
1 Department of State Bulletin, May 19, 1958, pp. 822-823. The United States
replied to
this note on May 3., 195,8 (infra). See also Foreign Minister Rapacki's address
of October
2, 1957, Premier Bulganin's letter of December 10, 1957, and President Flisenhower's
letter
of January 12, 1959.(supra).
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