Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The British Commonwealth, The Soviet Union, The Near East and Africa, Volume III

702.6111/324

Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Loy W. Henderson and Mr. Edward Page, Jr., of the Division of European Affairs

[Washington,] April 16, 1940.

Participants:	Mr. Andrei A. Gromyko, Counselor, Soviet Embassy;
	Mr. Dmitri Chuvakhin, First Secretary, Soviet Embassy;
	Mr. Loy W. Henderson, Assistant Chief, Division of European Affairs;
	Mr. Edward Page, Division of European Affairs.

Mr. Gromyko and Mr. Chuvakhin of the Soviet Embassy called today to discuss the Departmental circular note of March 30, 1939⁴ sent to all foreign missions in Washington requesting reports on consular officers and employees and all other employees and officers of their governments.

Mr. Gromyko stated that the Embassy had classified Soviet nationals in this country into three categories, namely: (1) Government employees; (2) employees of independent commercial organizations, such as Machinoimport, Raznoimport, et cetera; and (3) employees of Amtorg. Mr. Gromyko stated that complete lists of the Government employees (category 1) would be furnished the State Department by May 3–4, and would contain all the information requested in the aforementioned note.

With regard to the second category, Mr. Gromyko first stated that the Embassy would furnish the Department with a list containing all the names of the Soviet nationals employed in this country by Soviet commercial organizations. Mr. Henderson replied that the furnishing of only the names of the employees would not be in compliance with the Department’s regulations.⁵ Mr. Chuvakhin advanced the usual arguments regarding the private, non-governmental character of these organizations, accused the Department, as usual, of discrimination, maintained that the Embassy had gone half way to meet the demands of the State Department, and pleaded that the State Department also go half way to meet the desires of the Embassy. After approximately an hour’s bickering, during which the Soviet representatives did all in their power to press Mr. Henderson and Mr. Page to agree to the Soviet contention, the Soviet representatives with great reluctance tentatively agreed, subject to the approval of the Ambassador, to furnish the Department with lists of Soviet employees, such as engineers, translators, technicians, et cetera, in the employ of commercial organizations, such lists containing the names, business and home addresses, and capacities of the Soviet nationals in question. It was agreed that only the permanent address need be given, and that should an employee leave his permanent given address for a short period of time no change of address need be sent to the Department. However, should an employee change his address for an extended period, for example, to take up residence in another locality in order to study in an American factory, the change of address would be given. The Soviet representatives agreed to furnish in the near future a complete list of all the commercial organizations in the United States, of which there are four or five, which lists would contain the names, addresses, et cetera, of their employees.

Turning to the third category, another hour was passed going over the old arguments concerning the American character of Amtorg. Mr. Chuvakhin in all seriousness stated that the Embassy could not ask Amtorg for information regarding its employees since Amtorg was a private American corporation. Mr. Henderson remarked that Mr. Oumansky never hesitated in making representations for Amtorg whenever the interests of that company were involved. It was suggested that if the Embassy did not wish formally to apply to Amtorg for a list of its employees, it might without embarrassment request Mr. Lukashev, Chairman of Amtorg, to give such a list in his capacity of a Soviet citizen.

Again, with great reluctance the Soviet representatives agreed to furnish the Department in the near future with a list of the Soviet employees of Amtorg which would show their names, home addresses, and capacities. Mr. Henderson said that he saw no objection to the use in the Soviet lists of the terms “engineers” or “office workers” in setting forth the capacity of the various Soviet employees.

4. Foreign Relations, The Soviet Union, 1933–1939, p. 926; see also the correspondence ibid., pp. 928–933, illustrative of the difficulties with the Soviet Government over the requirements for the registration of agents in the United States of foreign principals, under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, approved June 8, 1938; 52 Stat. 631.
5. Department of State, Agents of Foreign Prinicpals, and of Foreign Governments (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1939).