861.24/1695: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Hamilton) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 21—11:35 a.m.]
1660. Moscow papers for October 20 carry on the front page the announcement of the signing in London on October 19 of the third agreement for furnishing supplies to the Soviet Union by representatives of the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the Soviet Union in accordance with which the first three Governments undertake to supply the Soviet Union with armaments, equipment, supplies and foodstuffs. The announcement notes that two previous agreements of this character have been signed, the first in Moscow in October ’41 and the second in Washington in October ’42 and that the present agreement is a continuation of existing obligations,33 except that Canada is participating as a signatory [Page 781] for the first time although supplies from Canada have in the past constituted a part of the obligations of the United Kingdom and in some cases part of the obligations of the United States. The term of the second agreement the announcement states expired on June 30 but “although the third agreement has only now been signed its provisions have been in effect for the past 3 months and the stream of supplies of all kinds to the Soviet Union has not been interrupted.”
- The First (Moscow) Protocol was signed on October 2, 1941, and the Second (Washington) Protocol was signed on October 6, 1942. Texts of all these Protocols are printed in Department of State, Soviet Supply Protocols, pp. 3, 15, and 51. The announcement made at the time of signature of the Third (London) Protocol is printed in Department of State Bulletin, October 23, 1943, p. 272.↩