893.24/887: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 26—1:17 a.m.]
1235. In the course of a conversation with the Chinese Ambassador this afternoon he stated that the Soviets were continuing to furnish munitions and supplies to China in amounts less than before the outbreak of the European war in September, 1939, but greater than during the spring of 1940. He added that he had recently been instructed by his Government to request new types of planes in view of the improvement in the Japanese planes and that the Soviet Government had taken his request under advisement stating that they had recently shut down some of their plane factories for the purpose of installing equipment for newer types, and that when the factories were reopened about the end of October his request would be given consideration.
[Page 224]The Ambassador said that in the course of a recent conversation with “high Soviet officials” he had expressed to them the hope of closer relations between the Soviet Union and the United States to which the Soviet officials had replied that two barriers stood in the way, the first being the distance separating the two countries, and the second the interference by the United States in matters affecting the Soviet Union and other countries and which were of no direct concern to the United States. The Ambassador added that in this connection the Finnish-Soviet controversy had been specifically mentioned.