Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Mrs. William Oatis, and Harold C. Vedeler

CONFIDENCIAL - Sacurity Information 975 S/S DEPARTMENT OF STATE 5939 Memorandum of Conversation 204 DATE;June 19, 1952 SUBJECT: Situation of Mr. Oatis PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary Mrs. William N. Oatis EE - Harold C. Vedeler COPIES TO: G EUR P American Embassy Prague u. s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 During a visit to the Department, yesterday and today, to discuss the situation of her husband, Mrs. Oatis called this afternoon on our initiative. I said that I was delighted that she had come. I had wished very much to see her and to express personally the sympathy which we felt for her and her husband in the present difficult circumstances as well as to express our determination to continue doing everything possible to obtain his release. I said that Ambassador Briggs had come from Prague for consultation and that the problem had been gone over with him in all aspects. He was now going back to Prague to resume his efforts energetically and we were hopeful of the results. Mrs. Oatis gave some notion of the personal problems arising for her from the continued imprisonment of her husbanit. She suggested that the strain was somewhat lightened for her by uninterrupted work in her position as an advertising writer, that she sought to avoid publicity, and that her main purpose was to do whatever would help her husband the most. She had spent a great deal of time in thinking whether the Department might do something which was not being done toward obtaining the freedom of her husband and she always came to the conclusion that everything which could be done was being done for him. DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) or (E) She expressed 10-27-76 Dept. of State letter, Aug 2, 1973 CONPIDENTIAL -Security Information By NLT. He NARS Date 11-24-76