711.00111 Armament Control/Military Secrets/1594
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Controls79 (Green)
Mr. William Francis Gibbs, of Gibbs and Cox, Incorporated, naval architects, called me by telephone this morning. He referred to our conversation on January 3, 1939, in regard to the proposed construction of vessels of war in this country for the Soviet Navy and particularly to that portion of the conversation which related to the proposed construction of destroyers. Mr. Gibbs said that a Russian mission, which he understood consisted of eight officers headed by Admiral Isaakoff, was to arrive in New York on the Aquitania today. He said that he proposed to enter immediately into conversations with the Admiral in regard to plans for destroyers. He said that he had already discussed this matter fully with Mr. Edison and that as Mr. Edison had told him definitely that the statements made to him in the letter addressed to him by the Secretary of State on June 17, 1938, in regard to the proposed construction of a battleship could be understood to apply equally to the construction of destroyers, he did not propose at this time to ask for written confirmation of that fact. He assured me that he would keep the Department and the Navy Department informed of all developments in this matter.
[Page 873]Mr. Gibbs particularly emphasized that his company would follow established procedures in all matters relating to the construction of vessels of war in this country and that he would urge upon Admiral Isaakoff the advisability of adhering to established procedure. He referred to the recent furor in connection with the purchase of planes in this country by the French Government and said that he was particularly anxious that any purchases which the Soviet mission might make should not become the subject of such public discussion as had grown out of the purchase of planes by the French. To that end he asked me to make it clear to any representatives of the press who might ask questions in regard to the Soviet mission that there was nothing irregular or unusual about its activities.
I told Mr. Gibbs that I doubted very much whether any one in the Department would have anything whatever to say to the press in regard to the activities of this mission.
- Hitherto the Office of Arms and Munitions Control.↩