File No. 761.94/118
Ambassador Francis to the Secretary of State
Petrograd, August 23, 1916, 4 p.m.
721. Your 954. Had satisfactory interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs 11:30 a.m. today. He assured me definitely and repeatedly that his Government has not withdrawn from the convention of 1907 and 1910 but would maintain unimpaired the provisions thereof, notwithstanding no mention made thereof in convention of 1916. This confirms assurance of Sazonow to me July 13 and Sazonow’s interview of July 14 given to Associated Press.
[Note.—A paraphrase of the above was transmitted to the Embassy at Tokyo (No. 338) and to the Legation at Peking (No. 493) August 24, 1916.]