Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, Europe, Volume III

Memorandum by Major General James H. Burns ¹ to Mr. Harry L. Hopkins, Special Assistant to President Roosevelt ²

Washington , June 4, 1942.

In accordance with your instructions, I visited Mr. Molotov last evening and gave him information substantially as follows:

After today’s conversation at the Soviet Embassy between Mr. Molotov, Mr. Litvinov and myself, I got in touch with the President with reference to the four requests submitted by Mr. Molotov to Mr. Harry Hopkins and the President, stated in substance as follows:³

Reference Request No. 1

“Sending of one caravan of ships monthly from the ports of America directly to Archangel under escort of U. S. naval ships.”

Every effort will be made by the joint forces of the United Kingdom and the United States to get supplies into Russia. The President is most anxious to move maximum amount of supplies, but does not feel that more specific commitments as to convoys can be made at this time.

The President hopes the U. S. S. R. will give effective air support to the northern convoy route, and feels this will have a very important influence upon the amount of supplies that can be delivered by this route.⁴

Reference Request No. 2

“Monthly supplies of 50 bombers B–25 by flight through Africa with their delivery at Basra or Teheran.”

The new protocol provides 12 B–25’s per month through October next. These will be flown by way of Africa and delivered at Basra or Teheran.

In view of the commitments involved in the air offensive over Western Europe, no commitment can now be made to increase this number at this time. The number is subject to further consideration as the progress of the war develops, and in any event a decision will be made in due course as to the number of these bombers to be made available after next October.

Reference Request No. 3

“Delivery of 150 bombers Boston–3 to the ports of the Persian Gulf and their assembly there.”

This Government will continue to provide 100 A–20’s per month through October next. These will be delivered to ports of the Persian Gulf and assembled there.

The A–20’s are the equivalent of the Boston–3’s and are the same type as those now being furnished to the U. S. S. R. by the United States.

The same general comments made with reference to future commitments of the B–25 bombers under Request No. 2 also apply to the A–20’s under this request.

Reference Request No. 4

“Delivery of 3000 trucks monthly to the ports of the Persian Gulf and their assembly there”

The President believes that this request can be met in full.

Mr. Molotov made no comment with reference to the rendering of more effective Soviet air support to the northern convoy route.

He seemed to desire a more definite answer to Request No. 1 (Monthly U. S. convoy from America to Archangel). I repeated that my understanding is that while the President is most anxious to move the maximum amount of supplies to Russia, he does not feel that more specific commitments as to convoys can be made at this time.

Mr. Molotov asked me to thank the President for his prompt consideration of these four requests and for his decisions thereon. He said that while he had hoped they would be granted in full, he was deeply grateful for the help offered. He stated we could rest assured that all munitions supplied to the U. S. S. R. would be put to work against the Germans as promptly and effectively as possible, and that Russia could be relied upon to continue the war until victory is won, I told him I was sure the President and the country had that same feeling about Russia. He seemed to be very friendly and very appreciative of the efforts being made to assist his country.

J. H. Burns

[The master Lend-Lease Agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union was signed in Washington at 4:15 p.m. on June 11, 1942, by Secretary of State Hull and Soviet Ambassador Litvinov. It was nearly identical with the agreement signed with Great Britain on February 23, 1942. For the text, see Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 253, or 56 Stat. (pt. 2) 1500. The text, together with statement by the Department of State issued to the press on June 12, 1942, is printed in Department of State Bulletin, June 13, 1942, pages 531–535.]

1. Executive, Munitions Assignments Board, United States–Great Britain.
2. Copy obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y.
3. These requests for information were first made by Molotov and submitted to Hopkins for President Roosevelt on June 1. Answers were next pressed for at the luncheon held in the Embassy of the Soviet Union on June 3. The replies here printed were given orally to Molotov during the evening of the same day, after verbal instructions had been received from Hopkins.
4. The difficulties besetting the northern convoy route were described in detail to Molotov during his visit to Washington. See memorandum of conference held at the White House, May 30, p. 575, the two paragraphs beginning “The President observed that sending each convoy”, pp. 577–578.