Office of the Historian

861.24/1298: Telegram

The Second Secretary of Embassy in the Soviet Union (Thompson) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, March 2, 1943—noon.
[Received 6:16 p.m.]

114. To Stettinius from Faymonville.

1.
Third Protocol is now being finished and will be submitted in next few days. This is Commissar’s reply to subject matter of your paragraph 1, cable 97, February 20, 8 p.m.65 Especial attention is being given to details of steel requirements.
2.
More than 8 days ago General Belyaev is believed to have handed you details of food requirements for year ending July 1944. Commissar thinks that questions in your cable 111, February 27, 7 p.m.65 must have been drafted before receipt of Soviet food estimates. Cable me if new food estimates are still unsufficiently detailed.
3.
As a result of recommendations of Mr. Makeyev, Chief of Soviet Rubber Mission in America,66 Commissar will ask for several industrial items for rubber industry. Actual transactions will be handled [Page 750] entirely by General Belyaev. Our American Rubber Commission after noteworthy success here69 has left Moscow.
4.
Continuation of monthly deliveries of 200 tractors is desired. This refers to your cable 106, February 25, midnight.70 No additional tractors or other agricultural machines are desired, but Commissar is most anxious for quick delivery of spare parts for Soviet tractors. He states that many of these spare parts are common to Soviet type and to older American type tractors, and that Soviet Purchasing Commission has necessary specifications for desired parts.
5.
President’s action in making available first quarter aluminum was warmly appreciated by Commissar who hopes it will also be possible to increase second quarter deliveries. This refers to your cable 99, February 23, 4 a.m. [Faymonville.]
Thompson
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. Peter Sergeyevieh Makeyev, also Assistant People’s Commissar of Rubber Industry.↩
  4. In his telegram No. 130, March 8, 5 p.m., Ambassador Standley remarked that “‘noteworthy success’ does not accord with statements made to me by Pittman. Suggest that no use be made of this impression until Pittman and his associates arrive in Washington and are consulted in regard to the results of their Mission here.” (861.24/1307)↩
  5. Not printed.↩