700.00116 M.E./293
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Soviet Ambassador called to see me today at his request.
The Ambassador stated that he had been specifically instructed by his Government to express the satisfaction of the Soviet Union with the text of the communication I told the Ambassador I would send him in the name of this Government declaring that the moral embargo was no longer applicable to the Soviet Union. The Ambassador handed me his reply83 and I handed him the original letter,84 the reply containing the same phraseology as was in our communication to him.
The Ambassador inquired when my letter to him would be made public and I said it would be made public in the immediate future, probably on January 22.85
The Ambassador expressed the hope that no press statement would be issued by the Department which would be counter to the spirit of the communication which I was addressing to him. I replied that I was sure the Ambassador did not mean to intimate that the Soviet Government desired through him to suggest to this Government the nature of information given to the American people through an official press statement since that was a matter solely for the determination of this Government. I said that a press statement would be issued in conjunction with my letter and that the press statement would give to the public the technical information necessary in order to clarify completely the purpose of the letter addressed to the Ambassador.