U.S.-Soviet agreement on embassy construction in Washington. (statement by Ronald L. Spiers before the Subcommittee on Foreign Operation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 19, 1987) (transcript)

U.S.-Soviet Agreement on Embassy Construction in Washington

Statement before the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 19, 1987. Ambassador Spiers is Under Secretary for Management.1

We will be examining today a set of issues as complex and difficult as any I have encountered as Under Secretary of State for Management. They are issues which were difficult when first addressed by the U.S. Government over 20 years ago. They have been made more difficult to deal with for having been embellished over the years by a good deal of anecdotal misinformation and myth. Let me briefly summarize the basic facts.

Background

By the late 1950s, both the U.S. and Soviet Governments were rapidly outgrowing their diplomatic facilities, and each recognized the need for a new chancery and residential buildings. It would be over 10 years, however, before agreement was …