The Man Behind The Scene

This is the same story that I told President Truman.

After World War II, we had strict rules requiring Soviet and other foreign aircraft to obtain advance clearance to fly into our U.S. air zone.  Soviet pilots were apt to ignore such requirements and to fly in unannounced, a practice we were determined to discourage.

The United States was the host Nation at the Trials to the three other participants, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union, as well as eight observing nations.  My military assignment, at the time, was to direct administration at the Nurnberg Trials and to provide housing, food and transportation for our guest foreign colleagues as well as about 400 news correspondents, in this 86% bombed out city.

One morning, the Major who was Acting Commander at Nurnberg’s Furth Airport called me to report that a Soviet military aircraft had landed without clearance and the pilots had left the field before they could be apprehended.  He said they had drained the fuel tank and would apprehend them when they returned.

On the same day, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko was arriving for an official visit.  Our U.S. Chief Prosecutor, Justice Robert H. Jackson was unable to leave the court and asked me to represent him in greeting Gromyko.  When I arrived at the airport the Major in charge told me had apprehended the Soviets who flew in earlier that day without clearance.  I asked him to take me to them and was chagrined to learn he had locked up two Russian Generals who had come out to meet Gromyko.

They were furious and threatened diplomatic notes and all kinds of dire consequences.  I asked the Major how soon he could set up a bar.  He replied, “ten minutes.”  I walked the Generals around listening to their tirades for ten minutes and then took them to the hastily improvised bar.  By the time Gromyko arrived they had forgotten all about their indignities.  This is called “Vodka Diplomacy”.

Oh yes, we later arrested the errant Soviet pilots and let them cool their heels for a while.

Any other examples?

Another example of “Vodka Diplomacy”, the Russian version, occurred on May Day 1946.  The Soviets invited key members of the U.S., British and French Nurnberg staffs to a banquet at their headquarters to celebrate.  Justice Jackson’s automobile, a big Mercedes Benz touring car which formerly belonged to Hermann Goering, had a flat tire so he was 45 minutes late.  Being the top ranking guest, we had to wait until he arrived so the German waitresses kept filling and refilling our vodka glasses.  By the time Justice Jackson arrived and we moved to the U-shaped banquet table, many guests had already consumed too much vodka.

The Soviets seated Russian officers around the table, both sides, so there was a Russian next to each U.S., British or French guest.  I noticed that when the waitresses served vodka, they skipped the Russians, so when someone proposed a toast to President Truman or Stalin, I stood up and said “Halt.  Fill the hosts glasses too.  They should not toast with half a glass.”  In this way, I made sure that the Russians consumed as much as their guests.

I found that eating raw fish, which they served as an appetizer, was a great antidote, absorber of the alcohol in our stomachs.  When the dinner was over, several of our contingent, Lt. j.g. Jackson was one, were “under the table”, but also were several Russians.  I had a permit to drive my Army car as I did not want to keep a G.I. driver waiting for me for several hours.  I managed to drive back safely to my quarters, stick my finger down my throat and go to bed.  The next day, several red-eyed Russian officers came to see me and were amazed that I was in such good physical shape.

I did learn, however, what “Vodka Diplomacy” is, Russian style.