300.115(39) City of Flint/3: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State

789. Department’s 202, October 23, 11 p.m. The full text of the Tass despatch from Murmansk dated October 23 as published in the Moscow newspapers this morning under the title “The temporary detention of the foreign vessel in Murmansk” reads as follows:

“On the evening of October 23 there arrived in the Kola Bay (north of Murmansk) a cargo steamer under the German flag and without a Soviet pilot. Investigation revealed that it was an American steamer the City of Flint, displacement 5000 tons, bound from New York to Manchester, which had been seized by 18 members of a German cruiser who had brought the ship to Kola Bay. The German crew considers the cargo to be contraband (tractors, grain, fruit, leather, wax and other commodities) total in all 3700 tons. The naval forces at the port of Murmansk have temporarily held the vessel and interned the German crew”.

I have requested an immediate appointment with Potemkin for the purpose of making inquiry in the premises and will report by telegraph to the Department. As today is rest day there may be some delay in obtaining the appointment.

It will be noted that the despatch as published in the Moscow newspapers refers to the internment of the German crew only and specifically refers to temporary detention.

According to the American newspaper correspondents here the despatch which appeared in the Soviet newspapers this morning was not made public in Moscow last night but, as is frequently the case, was first sent abroad and only announced in Moscow at 7:30 this morning on the Soviet radio.

Steinhardt