State Department Telegram to the American Embassy in Moscow Regarding the U.S. Position with Respect to the U-2 Plane

OUTGOING TELEGRAM Department of State INDICATE: COLLECT 1960 MAY 11 PM (20) CHARGE TO OFFICIAL USE ONLY 53-51 2274 05891 Origin SENT TO: Amembassy MOSCOW PRIORITY EUR RPTD INFO AMEMBASSY PARIS 4760 Release Info: Re EMBTEL 2780 o SS PARIS FOR AMBASSADOR THOMPSON G Embassy should deliver to MFA text following note: SP BEGIN TEXT. The Embassy of the United States of America C L refers to the Soviet Government's note of May 10 concerning H INR the shooting down of an American anarmed civilian aircraft SB IO on May 1, and under instruction from its Government, has the P honor to state the following RMR The United States Government, in the statement issued by the Department of State on May 9. has fully stated XXXKX its position with respect to this incident. In its note the Soviet Government has stated that the collection of intelligence about the Soviet Union by American aircraft is a QTE calculated policy UNQTE of the United States. The United states Government does not deny that it has pursued such a policy forpurely defensive purposes. What it emphatically does deny is that this policy has any aggressive intent, or that the unarmed U-2 flight of May 1 was undertaken in an effort to prejudice the success of the forthcoming meeting of the Heads of Government in Paris or to "return the states of American-Soviet relations to the worst times of the cold Draffe 5/11/60 Telegraphic transmission and The Secretary EUR GBoster/RhDavis?s classification approved by: Clearances: S/S ass Mr. Calhoun M - Mr. e Merchant EUR Mr. Kohler Gen Goodpaster White House - s/B - Mr. Pohlen OFFICIAL USE ONLY (in FROM THIS P cab Mr. Berding COPY IS PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED".