800.51W89 U.S.S.R./194: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union ( Wiley ) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 6—8:09 a.m.]
88. My telegram No. 71, February 18, 4 p.m. Duranty confirms my impression that Soviet authorities are becoming increasingly perturbed over relations with the United States and that equanimity with which the termination of the Washington negotiations was first greeted is being rapidly transformed into uneasiness. This is probably attributable to growing realization of the fact that termination was not a mere tactical maneuver. Duranty has just seen his “number one Soviet contact” who is presumably high in party hierarchy. Latter suggests possibility that as Stalin attaches so much importance to Soviet-American relations he might in the near future grant Duranty an interview on the subject.