893.24/1443
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
In order to facilitate the supply of war material to China from India His Majesty’s Government have, as the United States Government are aware, been considering among other routes one which would go from Karachi via Eastern Persia and Meshed to Ashkhabad, and thence via the Turksib railroad to Alma Ata and across Northwest China to Lanchow and Chungking.
2. His Majesty’s Ambassador to Moscow has for some time been endeavoring to obtain the consent of the Soviet Government to the use of the Soviet section of this route, in support of a démarche previously made to the Soviet authorities by the Chinese Ambassador. In view of the close association of the United States Government with China’s war effort, it is hoped that the State Department might also consider the possibility of instructing the United States Ambassador in Moscow to make parallel representations to the Soviet Government.