611.6131/507: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 15—6:57 a.m.]
152. Department’s 85, June 9, 6 p.m. Informal representations were made orally today to a competent official of the Soviet Foreign Office in the sense of the Department’s above-mentioned telegram with special reference to an upward adjustment of the guaranteed total purchases by the Soviet Union provided for in the Soviet-American commercial agreement and the official stated that after a study had been made of the general matter by the responsible Soviet authorities the Embassy would be notified of the preliminary views of that Government as to the renewal of the agreement in question. The Foreign Office official also said that he had heard that the Soviet orders placed in the United States during the course of the present agreement amounted to approximately $70,000,000 whereas the imports from the Soviet Union into the United States totaled only about $20,000,000 and he expressed the personal opinion that his Government would not favor any increase in the amount of their purchases in the United States to be guaranteed in a new agreement.
It would be of assistance to the Embassy in connection with future conversations to have some statement of the amount of imports into [Page 606] the United States from the Soviet Union since August 4, 1937, as well as details relating to the benefits accruing to Soviet trade as outlined in (a) of the Department’s telegram under reference.
The Department will be notified as soon as further information is received from the Foreign Office.