300.115(39) City of Flint/50: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
821. I was unable at midnight to communicate by telephone with the Captain of the City of Flint but did succeed this time in carrying on a 15–minute conversation through an Embassy interpreter with the Dispatcher of the Port of Murmansk. He stated that the Captain could not come to the telephone as American members of the crew had been interned ashore since the arrival of the vessel in Murmansk.
In reply to my questions he made the following statements. (He had obviously not been cautioned against discussing the case and appeared to be unaware of the significance of the information which he imparted.)
- 1.
- That the City of Flint was at the moment taking on provisions from a cutter and that as soon as the provisions had been loaded would depart which, from the tenor of his remarks, I judged would be about 1 a.m. today.
- 2.
- That insofar as he was aware the City of Flint had arrived in Murmansk undamaged and under her own power; no damage had been reported upon her arrival and no repairs had been made during the 4 days the vessel was at Murmansk.
- 3.
- The vessel while in Murmansk had received charts, including some of Norwegian territorial waters.
- 4.
- All of my telegrams had been received and delivered to the American Captain on board the vessel, but no replies had been filed with or through the Dispatcher.
- 5.
- The vessel had arrived under the German flag and appeared to be about to sail without a flag (due, I presume, to its being after sundown).
- 6.
- In response to questions concerning the welfare of the American officers and crew he said he understood that they were well and that no illness had been reported.
While I do not of course regard the statements made by this port official as evidentiary or conclusive, nonetheless I believe that he was telling the truth insofar as he was aware of the facts, as it is inconceivable to me that he would have fabricated information damaging to the position being publicly maintained by the Soviet Government. His statements in regard to the undamaged condition of the vessel upon arrival in Murmansk, and the furnishing of charts of Norwegian territorial waters, confirms the view expressed in my telegram 820, October 27, 11 p.m., that the Soviet Government has throughout this incident been acting to protect German interests while holding itself out as faithfully complying with the principles of international law governing the conduct of neutrals, and in pursuing this course has resorted to the obstructionist tactics referred to in my earlier telegrams.
I will ask the Department in connection with any use it may see fit to make of the foregoing information to take every possible precaution to safeguard the Soviet official who, in furnishing it, may well have jeopardized his life.
- Telegram in two sections.↩