740.0011 European War 1939/22629: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 3—6:04 a.m.]
227. My 214, June 26, 10 p.m.83 I have received a note from Molotov dated July 1 reading as follows:
“Under instructions from Mr. I. V. Stalin President of the Soviet of People’s Commissars of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics I wish to transmit to the President the following answer to the message delivered to me on June 26:
‘In connection with your recent messages I consider it advisable to state that I share in full your opinion regarding the expediency of the air route for the delivery of aircraft from the United States via Alaska and Siberia to the Western Front. Having taken this into consideration the Soviet Government has already given the necessary orders regarding the completion of the work in the immediate future undertaken in Siberia in connection with the preparation for the reception of aircraft; that is, work on the fitting out of the existing air fields and their appropriate installations. With regard to whose aviators shall deliver the aircraft from Alaska it appears to me that this matter may be entrusted as the State Department proposed [Page 604] at one time to Soviet aviators, who would be sent to Nome or any other feasible place at an agreed-upon time. The carrying out of the survey flight suggested by you may also be entrusted to an appropriate group of these aviators. Completely to insure the reception of these planes we would like to know at this time the number of planes which the United States of America intends to deliver to the Western Front by this route.
With regard to your proposal concerning the meeting of representatives of the Army and Navy of the United States of America and the Soviet Union for the purpose of exchanging information so far as this will be necessary, the Soviet Government is agreeable to the organization of such a meeting and proposes that it should take place in Moscow’.”