800.51W89 U.S.S.R./71: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 15—12:20 p.m.]
142. Rubinin, visibly worried, asked me last night if the United States had declared that it was not interested in having any political questions discussed at the forthcoming Naval Conference28 and therefore was opposed to the presence of the Soviet Union at the Conference. He alleged that he had a semiofficial report from Washington to that effect. He stated confidentially that France intended to propose the admission of the Soviet Union to the Conference and that the support of the United States for the proposal had been expected.
I replied that I had no information on the subject. He then asked if I thought the report might be true. I answered that the recent behavior of the Soviet Government had aroused so much skepticism and disillusionment in Washington that I thought the report might be true. After going into details with some severity I advised Rubinin that if the Soviet Government wanted the collaboration of the United States in any field of world affairs it would be necessary to clean the air of distrust by settlement of the indebtedness. I added that Troyanovsky had better make a concrete and acceptable proposition quickly as the President expected to leave Washington in the near future.
Rubinin obviously much upset immediately engaged Krestinsky in agitated conversation and unless Litvinov, who is due to reach Moscow this morning, maintains a hostile attitude I anticipate swift instructions to Troyanovsky. Rubinin confirmed the impression conveyed by Sauerwein, reported in my June 14, 9 p.m. to Paris and repeated to Department,29 that the French are not rushing into the embrace of the Soviet Union.
I have direct information from the Kremlin that Stalin recently ordered every one in the Soviet Government to be extremely cordial to the American Embassy and feel that the Soviet Government is beginning to realize that the cooperation of the United States is not a thing to throw away lightly. If Troyanovsky should approach the [Page 108] Department I believe that it will be safe to assume that he is acting under direct instructions from his Government.
It will be useful to me to know your attitude toward the admission of the Soviet Union to the Naval Conference.
- For negotiations preliminary to the London Naval Conference, see Foreign Relations, 1934, vol. i, pp. 217 ff.↩
- Not printed.↩