811.3340/508: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt)
130. Navy Department has notified the Department that it proposes to have the U. S. S. Minneapolis on its training cruise following a visit to Helsingfors make an informal visit to Leningrad August 9 to August 17 and requests the Department to make appropriate notification with respect to this visit and the necessary arrangements to permit flights of ship-based aircraft during the visit.
[Page 113]Department inclined to doubt whether such a visit would be expedient at the present time but before replying to the Navy desires to have an expression of your opinion.
You may believe the failure of the ship to visit Leningrad after visiting Helsingfors might tend to support in an effective way the arguments advanced by you in your conversation with Litvinoff, reported in your 146, June 16, 9 p.m.,34 whereas a visit to Leningrad at this time might strengthen Litvinoff’s conviction as stated to you that “collaboration would be established anyhow” with the United States irrespective of the settlement of the question of debts and claims.