Mr. W. Averell Harriman, Special Representative of the President, to President Roosevelt 23
[Received August 15—12:35 a.m.]
Personal for the President. The Prime Minister has shown me the cable he is sending you regarding the rough sledding he had in his talk with Stalin last night. He is transmitting also Stalin’s memorandum which he handed us both simultaneously and his aide-mémoire in reply.
I have written Stalin a letter as follows:
“I have had an opportunity to study the memorandum of August 13 you handed me last night, an identical copy of which you simultaneously gave to the Prime Minister. I have also had an opportunity to read the Prime Minister’s aide-mémoire of August 14 replying to your memorandum.
I do not believe that any useful purpose would be served in comments by me additional to what the Prime Minister has said. I feel, however, that I must reaffirm his statement that no promise has been broken regarding the second front.”
The technique used by Stalin last night resembled closely that used with Beaverbrook and myself in our second meeting last year. I cannot believe there is cause for concern and I confidentially expect a clearcut understanding before the Prime Minister leaves.
- Copy obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y. This telegram was sent through the Naval Attaché in Moscow.↩