Those present at the meeting were: Mr. Nitze Mr. Ferguson Mr. Tufts Mr. Jessup Mr. Scammon

  I. Messrs. Tufts and Scammon outlined a proposal for testing the possibilities of free elec­tions in Germany, not through »investigation of conditions«, but through the actual in­itiation, with Soviet agreement, of free political campaigning throughout Germany. The premise of the proposal was that the only »condition« relevant to the holding of free elections is actual Soviet willingness to hold such elections. Accordingly, we would propose to the Soviets - perhaps in the exchange of notes, or per­haps in the course of conversations, arising out of the notes, as to the feasibility of free elections - that as of a given date, free political campaigning be initiated throughout Germany. This would mean opening the borders and allowing adherents of all political parties to wander without restrictions through the entire territory - canvassing, driving sound trucks, holding political meetings, etc. It was felt that, if the USSR agreed to the proposal, we (and, more importantly, the West Germans) would be able to tell within a few days, and perhaps even within a few hours of the starting date, whether the Soviet Union really meant busi­ness.
The index of whether they meant business would be the very simple fact of whether the ad­herents and organizers of West German political parties were actually able to campaign without hindrance throughout the Soviet Zone. It was also felt that we would be able fully to reciprocate by guaranteeing in the Western Zone the full freedom we would insist on in the Soviet Zone - i.e., in the Western Zone the only restrictions would be dietated by the maintenance of law and order (aside from prohibitions on entry into certain narrowly defined military areas). In brief, the criteria of whether free elections were possible would be quite simple:
On the question of inspection of the campaign process by the UN Commission or a com­mission of the four powers, it was felt that inspection machinery was not essential from a practical point of view, in as much as the members of the SPD and other Western parties operating in the Soviet Zone would determine the facts for themselves (and for West German opinion) with no difficulty. It was felt that such inspection would be desirable, how­ever, from a general propaganda point of view; that it would be desirable for East German morale if there were a considerable show of having inspection teams circulating freely; and that it would be desirable, in the event of disputes, that there be a UN or four power inspec­tion system which would be able to make official findings. (Retention of the inspection de­vice would, of course, maintain desirable consistency with our present insistence that a UN or quadripartite commission investigate the possibilites of free elections.)