861.20/536: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Thurston) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 10—8:15 a.m.]
204. Department’s 107, March 6, 7 p.m.59 The Chief of the American Section of the Foreign Office60 stated this morning in response to a fourth inquiry on the subject of the issuance of visas to General Greely and members of his Mission, that inasmuch as the matter concerned a “military mission” it presented complexities which did not arise in connection with the granting of visas to ordinary applicants and that, therefore, it could not be handled by Vyshinski but had had to be referred to Moscow for a decision. He stated that he had understood from my talk with Vyshinski on March 4 that all the members of the Mission wished to come to the Soviet Union now (although the contrary was made specifically clear by me to Vyshinski) and that the number concerned constituted an additional problem.
He mentioned parenthetically that if it were agreed in principle that a large military mission might enter the country the necessary preparations for their presence would evidently be considered. It was again made clear to Zarubin that only a part of the Mission intended to come here at this time and he was requested to expedite the reply of his Government on the matter. He promised to report this conversation at once to Vyshinski and gave assurance that inquiry would be made of Moscow by telephone today with regard to the case, the result of which he said that he hoped to be able to communicate to the Embassy this evening.61
- Not printed, but see Department’s telegram No. 96, March 2, 9 p.m., p. 526.↩
- Georgy Nikolayevich Zarubin.↩
- The Chargé reported in telegram No. 221, March 12, 1942, that Zarubin had said that instructions had been telegraphed to Tehran the night before “to grant visas to General Greely and his party.” (861.20/537)↩