Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, General, Volume I

762.9411/36: Telegram

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

Moscow, September 28, 1940—4 p.m.
[Received September 28—2:15 p.m.]

1247. Embassy’s 1244, September 28³³ which preceded this. Members of the German Embassy are quite frank in their statement that the present pact³⁴ will not be well received by the Soviet Government and a former member of the German Embassy who is in Moscow on leave from the Army has even stated that he fears that this pact indicates that German policy toward the Soviet Union is basically altered and in strictest confidence expressed the view that Germany might be at war with Russia by next spring. He added that there were at the present time an unnecessarily large number of German troops on the Soviet-German frontier and expressed the opinion that the signature of the pacts could only mean that Germany does not intend to attempt to invade England this fall. It was further stated that there had been no real prior consultation with the Soviet Government concerning the pact and that only on September 26 in the late afternoon had the German Chargé d’Affaires informed Molotov of the forthcoming event.³⁵

Steinhardt

33. Not printed.
34. The three power pact of September 27, 1940.
35. For analytical consideration by Ambassador Steinhardt of the changing German policy toward the Soviet Union, see his telegram No. 1268, October 2, 7 p.m., p. 615.