861.20/541: Telegram
The First Secretary of Embassy in the Soviet Union (Dickerson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:32 p.m.]
250. Embassy’s 247, March 23, 3 p.m.69 In response to the Embassy’s request of yesterday that the Foreign Office forward authorization to the Soviet Embassy in Tehran for the issuance of Soviet entry visas to the remaining 21 members of General Greely’s Mission, the Chief of the American Section of the Foreign Office telephoned the Embassy last night to repeat that the visas already issued to General Greely and two of his assistants had been granted as a result of conversations which had taken place in Washington between the Department and the Soviet Embassy.70 He said that the question of visas for the remaining members of the Mission had not been discussed and added that in any event the issuance of visas to so large a group would only be possible after an understanding in this respect had been reached between the two Governments.71
Repeated to Tehran and Moscow.
- Not printed.↩
- When told by Zarubin that “according to information received from the Soviet Embassy in Washington the Department requested visas for only the three members referred to”, First Secretary of Embassy Dickerson then “requested the Foreign Office to forward the desired authorization to Tehran to cover the entire Mission.” (861.20/540)↩
- In a memorandum of March 26, 1942, Loy W. Henderson, Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs, wrote: “We feel that the attitude of the Soviet Government is not open to criticism. We should not undertake to send a large mission of this kind to the Soviet Union without formally clearing the matter with the Soviet Government.” (861.20/552)↩