740.0011 European War 1939/12689: Telegram
The Minister in Sweden (Sterling) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:17 p.m.]
400. In speaking with Kollontay10 this morning she stated that there had been no change in Russian attitude toward assistance to China and she mentioned that whereas Turkey, Iran and other countries had announced their neutrality in Russo-German war China had proclaimed friendly neutrality.
She believed that fighting was going on as planned; Red Army strategy was a slow retirement, while inflicting as great losses as possible on German troops, to 1939 frontiers of Russia which were strongly fortified and where a great stand would be made.
With regard to Soviet-Japanese relations, she told me confidentially that no Russian troops had been removed from Manchurian frontier since signing of Matsuoka–Molotov agreement.
- Mme. Alexandra Kollontay, Soviet Minister in Sweden.↩