Arrival at Andrews AFB
Moscow TASS International Service in English 1522 GMT 25 November 1963--L
(Text) Washington--Anastas Mikoyan, the first deputy
premier of the USSR Council of Ministers, arrived here this morning. The Soviet
IL-18 airliner touched down on Andrews Air Force Base.
Anastas Mikoyan was met at the airport by U.S. Under
Secretary of State Averell [sic] Harriman, Special Assistant Secretary of State
Llewellyn Thompson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs R.
Davies, Ambassador of the Soviet Union A. Dobrynin, First Deputy Minister of
Foreign Trade S.A. Borisov, and also high-ranking officials of the Soviet
Embassy, and American and foreign journalists.
Anastas Mikoyan made the following statement at the airport:
On instructions from the Soviet Government and Nikita
Khrushchev, the chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, I have arrived here
on a sad mission for the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, the outstanding
U.S. statesman.
The Soviet people have been profoundly grieved by the tragic
death of the President and share the American people's sorrow over this great
loss. John Kennedy was known in the Soviet Union as a great statesman and was
respected. This respect was mainly due to the President's many efforts and his
contribution to solving disputed issues and strengthening mutual understanding
between our countries.
I should like to convey the most sincere condolences to the
family of the late President, the Government of the United States, and all the
American people.