811.20 (D) Regulations/5745
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Henderson)
Mr. Oumansky called me late in the afternoon by telephone. He said that he wished to inform the Department that he had just been advised by Amtorg that of the 2700 tons of machine tools which had been loaded on the Soviet steamship Rodina in New York harbor, 1286 tons had been unloaded at the request of the United States customs officials. Most of the unloaded cargo seemed to be machine tools of the ordinary type—that is, they had not been made under special order for particular types of work. Furthermore, he had been informed that four very important machine tools which had been partly paid for by Soviet purchasing agencies had been requisitioned by the American authorities at a machine tool factory in Niles, Ohio. Soviet inspectors, moreover, were now being refused permission to enter the machine tool factory where these four tools were being made.
Mr. Oumansky said that he wished again to repeat his request that (1) all machine tools ordered by the Soviet Government which had been requisitioned should be at once returned to the Soviet Government, and (2) that the steamship Rodina should be permitted to sail at once with its cargo. He also wished to reserve the right to press claims for any damages suffered by the Soviet Government as a result of the requisitioning of the machine tools and the holding up of the sailing of the Rodina.
Mr. Oumansky asked if the Secretary had been made personally acquainted with his various representations with regard to discrimination which was being carried on in this country against Soviet-American trade. I replied in the affirmative. He said that he was anxious that the Secretary should have full knowledge of this important matter.