861.24/747
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Afairs (Henderson)
Mr. Chuvakhin, the First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy, called upon me this morning at his request. He said that he had been instructed by his Government to state that at the present time the Soviet Government was not in a position to make use of American technicians and that, therefore, no Soviet visas were to be granted to such technicians. In case, however, there should be need at a later date for foreign technicians the American Government would be informed. The Soviet Government wished to express appreciation to the American Government for its generosity in offering the use of the technicians.
I asked Mr. Chuvakhin if his statement represented the final decision of his Government. He replied in the affirmative adding that a telegram on the subject had just reached the Embassy. He expressed the opinion that the decision had already been made known to the American Embassy in Kuibyshev.
I asked Mr. Chuvakhin if this information had as yet been given to General Spalding’s office34 or to any other Department or agencies of the American Government. He replied in the negative adding that the Embassy desired the Department of State to convey the decision to all interested United States Departments and agencies.
I asked Mr. Chuvakhin if the decision which he just conveyed to me related only to the technicians who were planning to go to the [Page 860] Soviet Union35 to assist in assembling military equipment sent to that country from the United States or whether it related also to Army and Navy officers who might be planning to go to the Soviet Union on special missions of a technical character. He said that it was his understanding that the decision related only to technicians and that individual decisions in each case would be made with respect to Army or Navy officers desiring to proceed to the Soviet Union on missions which might be considered as of a technical nature.