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DOCUMENTS ON GERMANY, 19.44-59
..   I
Ix.
The United States reaffirms its desire that, on the assumption that
there will be a meeting of Heads of Government, it will be held not
as a spectacle, not to reaffirm generalities, but to take serious deci-
sions which will lead to an international atmosphere of cooperation
and goodwill.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, March 6, 1958.
Letter from- the American Ambassador at Bonn (Bruce) to the
Soviet Charge d'Affaires at Berlin, Regarding Soviet Request
to Make Jet Flights in West Germany, March 12, 1958 1
I wish to bring to your attention a message delivered on February
24 to the U.S. Controller in the Berlin Air Safety Center by the So-
viet Controller, and published that same evening by the Soviet Zone
News Agency, ADN. The message stated that "since the Soviet Em-
bassy in Bonn had received requisite clearance from the Foreign Of-
fice for the overflight on February 14 of the territory of the German
Federal Republicby a Soviet aircraft TU-104A, the action of the
American representative in refusing clearance for overflight was un-
founded and can only be identified as an attempt to interfere with
normal air traffic by civil aircraft over the territory of the German
Federal Republic, and was in violation of procedures based on in-
ternational law."
This statement is not in accord with the facts. The allegation con-
cerning the "violation of procedures based on international law"
is
without foundation. As I informed you in my letter of January 16,
1958, the Three Powers, in keeping with quadripartite responsibil-
ities relating to Germany as a whole, continue to exercise control with
respect to the use of the airspace over the Federal Republic by air-
craft of the U.S.S.R. This is set out in Article 6, Chapter XII of the
Convention on the Settlement of Matters Arising out of the War
and the Occupation, signed at Paris on October 23, 1954.
In this connection I might call to your attention the enclosed state-
ment which was made to the press on February 25 by the Federal
German Press Office. This not -only reaffirms the principle of the
Three Power responsibility for such overflights, but also contradicts
the assertion of the Soviet Controller in BASC that the Foreign Of-
fice had given "the requisite clearance" for the February 14 flight
of
the Soviet aircraft TU-104A. The pertinent part of the Press Of-
fice statement reads as follows: " * * The first case stemmed from
the statement by the Soviet Zone ADN, according to which the Soviet
Embassy in Bonn received the necessary approval from the Foreign
Office for the overflight of the territory of the German Federal Re-
public on February 14 by the Soviet TU-104A aircraft. The For-
eign Office stated with regard to this that it had given no such ap-
proval since the Three Powers, in accordance with the responsibili-
ties relating to Germany as a whole, continue to exercise control
1Department of State Bulletin, April 7, 1958b p. 553. The British and French
Ambansa-
dors sent similar letters.
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