Foreign Relations of the United States, The Soviet Union, 1933–1939

861.51/2798

The Chargé in the Soviet Union ( Kirk ) to the Secretary of State

No. 1643

Moscow , September 13, 1938.
[Received October 4.]

Sir: With reference to the Department’s instruction No. 316 of February 1, 1938 (file No. 861.51/2777), and telegram No. 65 of May 3, 7 p.m., 1938,⁹² requesting the Embassy or the Legation at Riga to prepare and transmit to the Department a report concerning invisible items in the balance of payments between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the note dated March 18, 1938,⁹³ by which the Embassy solicited the good offices of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs with the view to obtaining certain information on the matter together with a copy of the reply thereto of the Commissariat dated September 8, 1938.⁹³

It will be noted that the reply of the Commissariat contains only a small part of the data requested by the Embassy since it sets forth figures giving merely the amount of money obtained in 1935 and 1936 from “non-commercial transfers from the United States to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, including transfers in payment of bonds”. These transfers were made as follows in dollars:

	1935	1936
Through the State Bank	1,457,000	45,400
Through the Foreign Trade Bank	4,226,000	2,652,000

The Embassy is endeavoring to obtain further information in the premises with the view to transmitting it to the Legation at Riga which, according to the Embassy’s understanding, intends to prepare the report requested by the Department as soon as sufficient material therefor becomes available.⁹⁴

Respectfully yours,

Alexander C. Kirk

92. Neither printed.
93. Not printed.
93. Not printed.
94. The Soviet authorities failed to supply any additional information despite repeated efforts of the Embassy to obtain it. The Chargé informed the Department in despatch No. 2255, April 13, 1939, that “the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs has in fact informed the Embassy in an informal manner that no information on the matter is available” other than that already given. (861.51/2808)