611.6131/515: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 30—6:25 a.m.]
209. My telegram No. 207, July 29, 2 p.m. Foreign Office officials notified me last night that conversations on the commercial agreement would be held at the Foreign Office tomorrow, July 31st, at 3 o’clock, today being Soviet rest day.
This notification was received following a further inquiry I made at the Foreign Office yesterday afternoon when I took occasion to indicate that the Department could not view with favor a short prolongation of the present agreement and that it would be necessary for me to bring this as well as other observations to the attention of [Page 611] Litvinov. I assume that the Soviet proposals will be presented tomorrow at the Foreign Office and accordingly shall take no further action pending that interview.
In the meantime I should appreciate an expression of the Department’s views as to whether the present agreement should be regarded as having been allowed to lapse in the event that no agreement is signed by August 4th. It appears that last year there was an interval of approximately 3 weeks between the termination of the old agreement and the signature of the new.