740.0011 European War 1939/568: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 27—7:35 a.m.]
622. My 609, September 25, noon. The press today publishes a Tass4 communiqué concerning conversations between the U. S. S. R. and Estonia, of which the following is a full translation.
“In view of the fact that the explanations of the Estonian Government concerning the circumstances of the disappearance in an unknown direction of a Polish submarine interned in the Port of Tallinn have been unsatisfactory,5 conversations have begun between Estonia [Page 942] and the Soviet Union concerning measures for the safeguarding of the security of Soviet waters against diversionist acts on the part of foreign submarines hiding in Baltic waters.
According to the explanations of the Estonian Government the Polish submarine entered Estonian waters with its mechanism in a damaged condition as a result of which its movements were rendered difficult. It is inconceivable, however, that under such circumstances a damaged submarine could escape from under guard from the port of the capital of Estonia. It is considered more probable that the submarine was repaired in Tallinn and probably supplied with fuel and in this fashion was afforded the possibility of escaping. Taking into consideration that, according to reports received from Leningrad today, the periscopes of unknown submarines have been seen in two places in the region of the Gulf of Louga, it is possible to reach the conclusion that somewhere not far from the Estonian shores some unknown submarines have a secret base.
Under these circumstances the question of safeguarding the security of Soviet waters against diversionist acts on the part of submarines in hiding acquires great importance”.
Tass likewise publishes the report from Leningrad, referred to in the above communiqué, which states that on September 26, between 2 and 3 p.m., Soviet patrol vessels had observed in several places the periscopes of two submarines and that destroyers of the Baltic Fleet had been sent to the spot where the periscopes were observed.
Repeated to Tallinn and Riga.
- Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union.↩
- The Polish submarine Orzel had entered the port of Tallinn on September 15, 1939, where it and its crew were interned and partially disarmed. Two days later the Orzel escaped, notwithstanding Estonian preventive efforts. The Estonian Government officially denied a Tass charge that Estonian authorities had facilitated the escape of the submarine, and the Estonian Minister in the Soviet Union expressed his regret for this occurrence. Ambassador Steinhardt reported in his telegram No. 588, September 22, 1939, 2 p.m., that according to his information there was “no foundation whatsoever” for another Tass accusation that “submarines of other states were finding refuge in Baltic ports”. (740.0011 European War 1939/496)↩