File No. 661.119/59a
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page )
6348. Department has had several conferences with Sir Richard Crawford of British Embassy in regard to shipments to Russia and the position of this Government has been made clear. For your information the Department feels for the present it is important that the impression should not be created in the minds of the Russian people that they have been abandoned by the Allies or the United States Government, and for that reason this Government has told the Russian representatives that all shipments of supplies being manufactured in this country other than munitions will be permitted to go forward. The question came up as to whether railway supplies were munitions and Department told Russian Ambassador that licenses would be granted for shipment of engines and rails. This information was conveyed to Crawford with the explanation that for the moment it would create a bad impression to formally cut off shipment of railway supplies to Russia, but as a practical matter, the amount of railway supplies that could be forwarded, owing to the limited amount of tonnage available for Russia, could not by any possibility be a military factor. Russians hope to ship 14 engines to Vladivostok. Permits have been granted for these, and this Government feels that no objection should be raised to the shipment of this material. If the situation changes it is always possible to stop further shipments and change policy. Supplies going forward are railway supplies, civilian and army shoes, leather, machinery not adaptable for munitions work, agricultural machinery, Red Cross supplies. One small ship now available will sail shortly from New York for Kola and two ships from Pacific coast.