740.0011 European War 1939/23297: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:37 p.m.]
669. Secretary Hull’s speech of July 2311 was not published until July 28 when it was given unusually wide coverage in Pravda and Izvestiya. A comparison with the text as received in the Radio Bulletin reveals however that certain large and important sections were omitted, especially when reference was made to Japan and events in the Far East and perhaps more important when the Secretary referred in general terms to the spirit of liberty, to economic freedom, [Page 451] social justice and programs of social and economic progress. The concluding section of the speech in which reference was made to the need of the United Nations to formulate and announce their common views in relation to fundamental policies was apparently published in full.
No editorial or other comment on the speech has thus far appeared in the press.
It is of interest to note that on July 23 the Soviet press published a carefully censored version of Stafford Cripps’ article which appeared in the March 9 issue of Life magazine. A certain amount of comment and speculation has been paused in the Kuibyshev Diplomatic Corps by the belated publication of this article. The motives for its retarded appearance in general have been attributed to (1) a desire on the part of the Soviet Government again to advance certain of its post-war claims through the medium and with the approval of a prominent British statesman and (2) a desire publicly to remind Great Britain that although as early as March such a prominent public figure as Cripps was talking about common military action in Europe, there was still no evidence of its materialization.
A comparison with the original article reveals that although the majority of Cripps’ personal views on Soviet military and economic problems were omitted, his replies to questions on Soviet territorial aspirations and Soviet war and peace aims were published almost in full. Furthermore the final part of question number 20 in which Cripps advocates the preliminary discussion of all the main issues of the war and the peace was also published in full.
Eden’s speech of July 23 has not yet been mentioned in the Soviet press.
- “The War and Human Freedom,” broadcast over all national radio networks; for text, see Department of State Bulletin, July 25, 1942, p. 639.↩