762 Foreign Relations, 1958-1960, Volume IX



weak and thought the only real reprisal would be to restrict the move-
ment of the Soviet Missions, which he felt would entail a risk of the Mis-
sions' being closed. General Norstad preferred a reprisal program to a
verbal warning and, while he thought there might be an advantage in
maintaining the Missions as long as possible, he believed that the Sovi-
ets might be preparing to put an end to them.
    Meanwhile, General Eddleman had already begun reciprocal har-
assment of the Soviet Mission in Frankfurt on July 28. On August 4 he
reported that he had ceased reciprocal harassment because it already
appeared to have had the desired effect. A few days ago, General Cas-
sels, Commander in Chief of the British Army of the Rhine, also began
reciprocal harassment of the Soviet Mission accredited to him.
    The British Embassy informed us yesterday (August 11) that Gen-
eral Cassels is going to Berlin on August 20 for a short visit and that he
may take this occasion to call on the Commander in Chief of the Group
of Soviet Forces in Germany, General Yakubovski. At the Foreign Secre-
tary's suggestion, General Cassels proposes to speak to General
Yakubovski along the following lines:
    It is dangerous to permit the East Germans to continue to harass the
Western Missions, and General Cassels trusts General Yakubovski will
do something about the situation. General Cassels has found it neces-
sary to take certain retaliatory measures against the Soviet Mission to his
headquarters and, if harassment of the British Mission does not cease,
he will have to make retaliation a fixed policy. Although General Cas-
sels is not speaking for the Americans and the Vrench, there has been the
closest liaison among the Three Powers on the subject and what he has
said is in accordance with American and French views.
    The British Embassy has asked for our concurrence in such a state-
ment to Yakubovski. Ambassador Caccia will probably repeat this re-
quest when he sees you today. 1
    We have informed Defense of the British approach and they tell us
they cannot concur with it. Defense believes that there is nothing to be
gained by giving the question recognition at the Cassels-Yakubovski
level and that making a threat of reciprocal harassment is a weak way to
handle the matter. Furthermore, Defense believes that General
Yakubovski might take refuge behind the fact the Western Missions
have been harassed by East Germans to complain that General Cassels is
threatening to act against the Soviet Mission in a way in which the Sovi-
ets themselves are not acting against the Western Mission.
    Defense believes that it is preferable to resort to actual reciprocal
harassment, as necessary, without explanations or threats. Defense
therefore suggests that State attempt to obtain British and French agree-



1 No record of Herter's conversation with Caccia has been found.