740.0011 European War 1939/16572: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 13—4:14 p.m.]
1900. In connection with the ceremonies which took place in Moscow in commemoration of the twenty-fourth anniversary of the October 1917 revolution, Stalin delivered an address on the evening of November 6th, the full text of which I will bring with me.27 The salient points include the following: During the 4 months of the [Page 655] Soviet-German war Soviet casualties have been 350,000 men killed, 378,000 men missing, and 1,020,000 wounded. German losses have been 4,500,000 men killed, wounded, and missing. The German plan for a “lightning war” has definitely failed. The plan was based on the belief that a universal coalition against the Soviet Union, including Great Britain and the United States, could be formed whereas in fact Great Britain and the United States have “appeared in the same camp with the Soviet Union against Germany”. Secondly, the Germans counted on the instability of the Soviet system and unreliability of the Soviet rear, assuming that disintegration would follow early German victories. The Germans counted on the presumed weakness of the Red army and the Red navy.
Despite the foregoing it is admitted that the Red army is suffering temporary reverses. These are attributed to “the absence of a second front in Europe against the German Fascist troops”. “At present there are no armies whatever of Great Britain or the United States of America on the European continent, armies which could conduct war with the German Fascist troops and thus oblige the Germans to divide their forces and to conduct the war on two fronts.” “The situation is that our country is conducting a war for liberty alone without any military assistance against the united forces of the Germans, Finns, Hungarians, Rumanians, and Italians.” A second reason for the temporary reverses of the Red army is a shortage of tanks and to some extent of airplanes.
With respect to the United States he remarked that “the three power conference in Moscow with the participation of Mr. [Lord] Beaverbrook, the representative of Great Britain, and Mr. Harriman, representative of the United States of America, decided upon systematic assistance to our country with tanks and airplanes. As is well known we have already begun to receive tanks and airplanes on the basis of this decision. Even previously Great Britain had guaranteed the supply to our country of deficit materials such as aluminum, lead, tin, nickel, and rubber. If to this is added the fact that a few days ago the United States of America decided to grant a loan of one billion dollars to the Soviet Union,28 one can say with assurance that the coalition of the United States of America, Great Britain and the U. S. S. R., is a reality (stormy applause) which is increasing and will increase for the good of our common cause.[”]