711.61/657
Memorandum by the First Secretary of Embassy in the Soviet Union (Henderson)90
I called upon Mr. Litvinov today to tell him good-bye. During the course of the conversation, he told me that he had heard that I had been assigned to the Department of State and that while in Washington I would probably assist in the conduct of Soviet-American relations. I replied that although I had received no official instructions outlining the nature of the duties which were to be assigned to me in Washington, I had nevertheless been given to understand that while in the Department of State I would be expected to assist in matters relating to the Soviet Union as well as other countries of Eastern Europe.
Mr. Litvinov said that it was his understanding that the Department of State played a very important role in the formulation and carrying out of American foreign policies; that most of the members of the [Page 586] State Department were reactionary, had fascist friends, were sympathetic to the fascist cause, and were antipathetic to the Soviet Union; that although the President of the United States was a great liberal and was anxious to further the cause of democracy and liberalism throughout the world, reactionaries in the State Department tried so to distort the policies laid down by the President as to give them an anti-Soviet and, sometimes, a pro-fascist bias. He added that he had received this information not from the Soviet Embassy in Washington but from American citizens. Some of his informants, he said, because of their position in the United States, were particularly well informed with respect to what was going on in Washington and were therefore worthy of credence.
I replied that I was certain that Mr. Litvinov’s information with respect to the attitude of the personnel of the State Department both towards the policies of the President and towards international affairs in general was incorrect. I said that I had served on two different assignments in the State Department; that I personally knew many of the members of the Department; that I was convinced that the State Department was composed of conscientious, painstaking and able public servants who were endeavoring loyally to carry out such policies as might be outlined to them by the administration. I added that in the United States there were various organized political and even racial groups which were much more interested in furthering one or more international movements than they were in advancing the interests of the United States; that these groups were extremely vociferous; and that one of the means of members of these groups of bringing pressure upon the American Government was to attack personally officials of the State Department, who, in the performance of their duties, were sometimes compelled to take steps which displeased such groups.
I said that in view of the fact that there was complete freedom of speech and of the press in the United States, it was extremely easy for disgruntled groups in that country to carry on campaigns against American administrative officials and that these campaigns frequently resulted in foreigners not acquainted with American life obtaining incorrect impressions regarding American officials and institutions.
- Transmitted to the Department by the Chargé in the Soviet Union in his despatch No. 1469, July 13, 1938; received July 26.↩