Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, General, The Soviet Union, Volume I

124.61/172: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt)

Washington, May 28, 1941—5 p.m.

745. Your 1025, May 22, 3 p.m.

1. It is hoped that members of the Embassy will continue to travel as much as possible, such travel being of course in strict conformity with the new regulations.

2. Keep the Department informed of all refusals of the Soviet authorities to grant travel requests and of any instances of discrimination which may come to your attention.⁹³

3. We have under consideration the advisability of inaugurating a procedure controlling the travel of Soviet diplomatic and consular officers in the United States but we do not wish to do so until we have had an opportunity to learn of the effect of the Soviet restrictions upon the travel of our personnel and whether the Soviet authorities are resorting to discrimination.

Hull

93. Ambassador Steinhardt, in his telegram No. 1070 of May 31, 1941, cited several instances of refusal by Soviet authorities of permits to Embassy officers for travel, and of discriminatory practices. He hoped that the Department of State would take “immediate retaliatory action of a nature sufficiently severe to induce the Soviet authorities to change their present policy.” (124.61/173)