740.00114 European War 1939/1776: Telegram

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

1826. Department’s 1150, October 21, noon [midnight]. Upon receipt of the Department’s 988, August 9, a note was addressed to the Commissariat for Foreign Affairs inquiring whether the Soviet Union intends to observe the Prisoners of War Convention signed at Geneva July 27, 1929. No reply has been received from the Soviet authorities to this note.

With regard to the desire of Dr. Mott that the Government of the United States endeavor to obtain Soviet adherence to this convention in order that his organization may receive permission from the Soviet Government to aid German prisoners in Russia, I have learned that when the subject of adherence to the convention was discussed with [Page 1008] the Soviet authorities by our Red Cross representatives, the Soviet authorities stated emphatically that they considered it unnecessary to adhere to this convention as the Soviet Government is already giving far better treatment to German prisoners than Germany is giving to Soviet prisoners. The point of view was also expressed that the Soviet Government is unwilling to adhere to this convention because of its attitude toward Switzerland, whose failure to recognize the Soviet regime has long been resented.

Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that the Soviet authorities, who have refused permission to the British Military Mission, the British Military Attachés, and the American Military Attachés to observe military operations and who have thus far failed to permit American Red Cross officials freedom of observation, or to enter into an agreement assuring them the right to even limited supervision over their own supplies, would permit Dr. Mott’s organization or representatives any greater degree of freedom of observation or movement.

Should Dr. Mott succeed in obtaining permission to operate in the Soviet Union, I feel that I should point out beforehand that neither accommodations, equipment, ordinary supplies or foodstuffs will be obtainable by his representatives in Kuibyshev, and that they must be prepared to house, maintain and feed themselves entirely independently of the Embassy. Furthermore, a caution to this effect prior to their departure from the United States would by no means be sufficient as on the arrival of American citizens in Kuibyshev, in the event that they are not equipped to provide for themselves, it would not be possible for the personnel of the Embassy to refuse to share with them the limited supplies at their disposal. In this connection I may point out that in anticipation of the removal of the Government and Diplomatic Corps from Moscow, a limited quantity of supplies were sent by the Embassy to Kazan. These supplies were sufficient to maintain the estimated personnel of the Embassy until the late spring of 1942.

Due, however, to the considerable number of our Army and Navy officers, members of the Supply Mission, Red Cross officials and American newspaper correspondents evacuated with the Embassy with whom it has been necessary to share these supplies, the Embassy’s stock of foodstuffs transferred from Kazan to Kuibyshev is being rapidly depleted and the Embassy is already confronted with the probability of being without supplies at the beginning of the winter.

Steinhardt
  1. For correspondence concerning the removal of the American Embassy from Moscow to Kuibyshev, see the Ambassador’s telegram No. 1805, October 15, and telegram No. 1809, October 21, pp. 908 and 910, respectively.