861.796/98a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt)
313. Your 1131, December 23, 5 p.m.3
1. The complete text of the public statement of December 20 is as follows:
“The Department, after consultation with the War and Navy Departments, has decided that the national interest suggests that for the time being there should be no further delivery to certain countries of plans, plants, manufacturing rights, or technical information required for the production of high quality aviation gasoline.
This decision has been reached with a view to conserving in this country certain technical information of strategic importance and as an extension of the announced policy of this Government in regard to the sale of airplanes, aeronautical equipment, and materials essential to airplane manufacture to countries the armed forces of which are engaged in unprovoked bombing or machine-gunning of civilian populations from the air.
The interested American oil companies have been informed of the Government’s decision in this matter.”
2. Although there is no mention in the text of the name of the countries to which this decision is applicable it has been made clear to the interested oil companies that it applies at present to Japan and the Soviet Union.
3. At a meeting of the representatives of the leading oil companies held prior to the issuance of the statement it was decided that the decision should take effect immediately and that no further assistance should be rendered to either Japan or the Soviet Union in the construction of plants for the manufacture of aviation gasoline.
4. The information contained in paragraphs 2 and 3 above is for your own confidential use. In order to prevent the Soviet authorities from confusing the issue arising from their refusal to permit the engineers to leave the country with legal questions connected with alleged breaches of contract, you may find it advantageous to state that you are not in a position to discuss the reasons responsible for the decision [Page 807] of the American companies to request the withdrawal of their employees or to enter into the question as to whether or not a breach of contract is involved. You may point out that the legal consequences of the departure of the engineers would appear to be a matter to be discussed directly between the appropriate Soviet organizations and the companies and suggest that if the Soviet authorities desire to elicit precise information regarding the attitude of your Government in this connection it might be preferable for them to address their inquiries through their Ambassador in Washington directly to the Department of State.
5. You should emphasize the fact that the question at issue is whether or not American citizens who enter the Soviet Union in order to render technical assistance to Soviet industries are to be free to leave the Soviet Union when they desire so to do and stress the fact that a refusal of the Soviet Government to permit American engineers freely to leave the country merely because of some possible legal differences between their employers in the United States and Soviet organizations would create a profound impression in the United States. In your discretion you may add orally that such an attitude might force your Government to draw the conclusion that American citizens are no longer safe in the Soviet Union.
- Not printed.↩