761.93 Manchuria/179: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 11—6:50 a.m.]
248. Referring to my telegram No. 247, August 11, 9 a.m., following is text of Tass communiqué issued early this morning:
“Yesterday, August 10, the Japanese Ambassador Mr. Shigemitsu again visited the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Comrade Litvinov, after an exchange of opinions, the People’s Commissar made in the name of the Soviet Government the following proposals.
- 1.
- The Japanese and Soviet forces shall cease all military activities on August 11 at. 12 noon local time. Instructions to that effect to be issued immediately by the Governments of the Soviet Union and Japan.
- 2.
- Japanese as well as Soviet troops shall remain on those lines which they occupied at midnight local time on August 10.
- 3.
- For the redemarcation of the portion of the frontier in dispute there shall be created a mixed commission of two representatives from the Soviet Union and two representatives from the Japanese-Manchurian side with an umpire selected by agreement of both parties from among the citizens of a third state.
- 4.
- The Commission for the Redemarcation shall work on the basis of agreements and maps bearing the signatures of plenipotentiary representatives of Russia and China”.
Ambassador Shigemitsu accepted in full the first two proposals having refused arbitration. Litvinov pointed out that the most effective guarantee of the achievement of an agreement for redemarcation would be the presence on the Commission of an unbiased disinterested umpire but in view of the objection of the Ambassador he did not insist upon arbitration. This agreement is considered to have been reached on the third point also.
An agreement was not reached on the question of the basis of the work of the Commission for Redemarcation. Ambassador Shigemitsu proposed to use as a basis also other material which up to the present time had not been presented to the Soviet Union and concerning which it therefore had no knowledge. Mr. Shigemitsu promised however to inquire of his Government on this question and to amicably answer at the earliest possible moment.