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

740.00114 European War 1939/1829: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in the Soviet Union (Thurston)

Washington, November 17, 1941—8 p.m.

1224. Department’s 1199, November 7, 10 p.m., to you was simultaneously repeated to Legation Stockholm⁵⁶ with suggestion that Swedish Government might desire also to discuss this question with Soviet Government in view of fact that Sweden has been entrusted with representation of Soviet interests in Germany and is in a good position to speak from the observation of Swedish representatives in Germany concerning what is being done for other prisoners by virtue of the applicability to them of the Geneva Convention. Legation Stockholm has now reported⁵⁷ that Swedish Government on November 12 instructed its representatives in the Soviet Union to discuss the matter with you and to make separate representations to the Soviet Government along the lines suggested by the Department.

For your information, Department learns from a despatch from Stockholm dated October 15, just received,⁵⁸ that a representative of the Swedish Foreign Office had earlier approached the Legation with a view to obtaining the assistance of this Government on humanitarian grounds to obtain an arrangement between the Soviet and German Governments permitting inspection of prisoner of war camps. It appeared from this interview that the German Government had made proposals for such an agreement to the Soviet Government in late July through the Bulgarian Government but that the Soviet Government informed its Minister at Stockholm under date of October 5 that no such proposal had been received from the Bulgarian Government and that the Soviet Government did not feel obliged to take the initiative. According to the representative of the Swedish Foreign Office, the Swedish Government feels that both the German and Soviet Governments are interested to a certain degree in arriving at an agreement but that neither is generally willing to permit actual inspection of prisoner of war camps and that both will probably find further excuses as time goes on to avoid any definite agreement permitting such inspection.

In a further effort to support your endeavors to give effect to the Department’s 1199 of November 7, 10 p.m., the same message was repeated to Embassy at London with request to inform British Foreign Office of purport thereof with suggestion that British Government might wish also to take up this question with Soviet Government in view of possible repercussions on British prisoners in German hands of non-application of Geneva Convention to Soviet prisoners by German authorities because the Soviet Government is not a party to that convention or any other agreement on the subject.⁵⁹

Hull

56. See telegram No. 5210, November 14, 9 p.m., to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom, p. 1010.
57. Telegram not printed.
58. Not printed.
59. In telegram No. 1986, November 27, 1941, the Chargé in the Soviet Union related that the British Ambassador had received no instructions to take up the question of the adherence of the Soviet Union to the Geneva Convention on prisoners of war. Sir Stafford Cripps did not expect to receive such instructions because he doubted that “British prisoners in German hands are likely to be affected adversely by the situation which prevails as between the German and Soviet Governments with respect to the convention.” (740.00114 European War 1939/1937)