740.0011 European War 1939/6996: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Thurston) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 4—12:15 p.m.]
1671. The following from the Military Attaché59 for the War Department: It has been ascertained from a heretofore reliable source that there has recently been effected a withdrawal of Soviet troops from the Soviet-German frontier and as a result the divisions are disposed as follows, which should be compared with the disposition previously reported. The following places are fronts and not military districts and the figures refer to infantry divisions and air divisions (4 to 6 squadrons): Leningrad, infantry 21, air 6; Baltic 18, 4; Poland 32, 11; Rumania 17, 4; Caucasus 10, 3; Far East, no change; general reserve 23, 6. It will be noted that the divisions withdrawn from the frontier have been apparently moved into the interior to form a general reserve and have not been moved to other borders.
- Maj. Ivan D. Yeaton.↩