Moscow Embassy Files: Lot F–96
The American Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (Molotov)
Excellency: I have the honor to inform you that I have been instructed to transmit the following message dated July 23, 1942 from the President to Mr. Stalin:
“I have received your message regarding the proposed survey flight from Alaska and the Moscow conference. Members of the survey flight will be in Alaska and ready to depart by August first. In this connection a four-engined bomber will be at Nome in the event that it is required.3
“I greatly appreciate your report on the difficulties experienced at the front with American tanks. It will be most helpful to our tank experts in eradicating the trouble with this model to have this information. The fire hazard in future models will be reduced, however, as they will operate on a lower octane fuel.”
Accept [etc.]
Secretary of Embassy
- In telegram No. 375, July 29, the Department advised Ambassador Standley that the Alaska-Siberia survey flight group under the command of Col. Alva L. Harvey would leave Washington for Nome on July 30, where it had been arranged that the members would be picked up “by a Soviet bomber and taken into Siberia.” (861.248/230a)↩