Exchange of Letters Between the President and Chancellor Adenauer Concerning the Soviet Government's Refusal To Admit Food for the people of East Germany.
My dear Mr. Chancellor:
I share the regret expressed in your letter of July 13, 1953, at the refusal of the Soviet Government to admit the food which the United States Government offered the East German population in response to your appeal of July 4.
Immediately after the receipt of Mr. Molotov's rejection of my offer, I made it clear that the offer continues to stand and that the food continues to be available. Since it is our joint purpose to aid the people of Eastern Germany in spite of the obstacles which the occupation authorities of that area have created, I have directed the Secretary of State and the Director for Mutual Security to place quantities of these foodstuffs at your disposal for use in relieving the suffering of the people of Eastern Germany in the best available manner.
At the same time, we shall continue to make dear to the Soviet Government that the offer which was made on July 10, 1953, was motivated solely by humanitarian impulses and that the food is available if that Government wishes to permit its entrance into the Soviet Zone of occupation.
Sincerely,
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Note: The text of Chancellor Adenauer's letter follows:
- Dear Mr. President:
Your letter of July 10th has been conveyed to me through Ambassador Conant. Your generous offer to relieve the want of the population of the Soviet Zone through immediate and extensive deliveries of foodstuffs has touched me deeply. This spontaneous demonstration of humane readiness to help, which is in the best traditions of the American people, has caused great joy in all of Germany and especially has given new at the Irvine Ranch, Newport Harbor, Orange County, Calif. hope and new courage to the people in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. I should, therefore, like to express to you, in the name not only of the Federal Government but also in the name of the entire German people, my heartiest thanks.
It is with regret that I have learned that the Soviet Government has refused its cooperation in the relief action which you had planned. I would like to request that the delivery of foodstuffs should not as a result be withheld. On the contrary, I wish to express the hope that the foodstuffs may be placed at the disposal of the Federal Government, which for its part will do everything to make the food available in the most effective way possible for relief of the suffering of the population who have fallen into need as a result of the situation in the Soviet Zone.
ADENAUER
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Exchange of Letters Between the President and Chancellor Adenauer Concerning the Soviet Government's Refusal To Admit Food for the people of East Germany. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/231778