Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, Europe, Volume III

861.20/533a: Telegram

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

Washington, March 2, 1942—9 p.m.

96. Major General Greely,⁴⁸ Chief of the “United States Military Mission to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, and certain members of his Mission have been endeavoring for some time to obtain visas from the Soviet Legation in Tehran enabling them to visit the Soviet Union. Apparently the Soviet Government has obtained the impression that General Greely and all the members of his Mission desire to go to the Soviet Union in order there to reside. It is believed that all members of the Mission have applied for visas at Tehran so that in case it should become necessary for any of them to proceed to the Soviet Union in order to consult with American or Soviet officials there, they could obtain visas without protracted delays. General Greely and several members of his staff, however, desire to proceed at once to Kuibyshev and possibly to Moscow for purposes of consultation. The work of the Mission consists in expediting delivery of supplies and materials from the United States to the Soviet Union through the Near East.

Please explain the situation to the Soviet authorities⁴⁹ expressing the hope of this Government that visas be granted at once to General Greely and members of his Mission who desire to accompany him and pointing out at the same time that the Mission does not intend for the time being at least to reside in or maintain headquarters in the Soviet Union.

Welles

48. John Nesmith Greely.
49. The Chargé reported in telegram No. 191 from Kuibyshev on March 5, 1942, that when he mentioned this subject to Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky, Assistant People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, the latter affected surprise at the existence of this Mission and asked about it, but the Chargé reported, “I was compelled to confess that I knew no more than he apparently did.” Thurston then reminded the Department that “the Soviet Government is notoriously reluctant to permit foreigners to enter the Soviet Union, and it is not responsive to casual or high pressure methods.” (861.20/535)