121.861/40: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:21 a.m.]
1726. For the President, the Secretary and Under Secretary. The British Ambassador and I called at the Kremlin at 7 o’clock last night by appointment and introduced Harriman and Beaverbrook to Stalin and Molotov.93 Maxim Litvinov was present and acted as interpreter. Prior to our departure for the meeting, Beaverbrook requested that Cripps should withdraw after the introduction. Accordingly, Cripps and I left after the introductions had been made.
[Page 837]In private conversation with Harriman, he told me that in his opinion Beaverbrook’s request had been prompted by the recognition in London of a lack of mutual confidence up to the present between the British and Russians and a desire to start the negotiations with “a clean slate.”
Yesterday Oumansky stated to me that he had arranged to be present at the conference between Harriman, Beaverbrook and Stalin. However, before our departure for the Kremlin, Cripps informed me that having heard of Oumansky’s intended presence at the meeting he had telephoned his objection to Molotov and had been assured that Oumansky would not be present.
The three delegations will have their first formal meeting at 1 p.m. today.
- Mr. Harriman and some others of the American Mission had arrived in Moscow on the afternoon of September 28, 1941.↩