761.93 Outer Mongolia/4: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 28—11:35 a.m.]
93. A Tass telegram from Ulan-Bator published in today’s Izvestia states that the 20th session of the small Hural approved the future of the Government of the Mongolian People’s Republic, “in particular the agreement between the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People’s Republic concerning mutual assistance”.
This constitutes the first semiofficial admission by the Soviet Government that an agreement involving mutual assistance between the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People’s Republic has been concluded.
The Soviet Government has evaded hitherto all questions on this subject in order to avoid being accused of “imperialism”.
Dr. Yen, Chinese Ambassador, before his departure for Berlin (where he is now extremely ill) informed me that he had asked Stomoniakoff how the Soviet Government could reconcile Stalin’s statements to Howard anent Outer Mongolia with the Soviet Government’s continued assurances to the Government of China that the Soviet Government still respected Chinese sovereignty over Outer Mongolia. On Tuesday Stomoniakoff replied by a question “Would you rather have Outer Mongolia in the hands of the Japanese?”
We are informed today by the Chinese Embassy that the Chinese Government had made no official protest and that no such protest may be expected.
[Page 93]The Japanese Embassy informs us that Japan will continue unalterably to regard Outer Mongolia as an integral part of China under Chinese sovereignty.
There is of course little fundamental difference between the present position of Outer Mongolia and that of the non-Russian Constituent Republics within the Soviet Union.