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

861.24/987

The Ambassador of the Soviet Union (Litvinov) to the Secretary of State ¹¹

Washington, July 7, 1942.

My Dear Mr. Secretary: I am instructed by my Government to inform you as follows:

The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics accepts with satisfaction the Second Protocol proposed by the Governments of the United States of America and the United Kingdom, for the period of July 1, 1942 to June 30, 1943.

The Soviet Government wishes to express its hope that:

A. The monthly delivery of airplanes from the United Kingdom after the first six months of 1942, i. e. in the first half-year of 1943, if it cannot be increased then in no way will be decreased, and the delivery of airplanes from the United States after October, 1942 will be increased to the possible limit.

B. The Government of the United Kingdom will find a way to maintain the monthly deliveries of aluminum ingots fixed for July–September 1942, during the entire period of the Second Protocol and that the Government of the United Kingdom will be able to arrange for the monthly supply of cobalt metal at the rate of ten tons per month, as it was provided under the Moscow Protocol.

C. Taking into consideration the increased demand of the United States and the United Kingdom for nickel and also the acute need for this metal in the U. S. S. R., it will be possible to arrange a monthly supply of nickel at the rate of 400 tons per month, over the quantities necessary for the production of manufactured goods offered in the Second Protocol.

The Soviet Government considers that the proposed limitation of Soviet requirements to 4,400,000 net tons, shipments of which will be provided for to the U. S. S. R. northern ports and to the Persian Gulf, shall be made at the expense of flour, wheat, sugar and petroleum products. The Soviet Government trusts that the Government of the United Kingdom will provide for the delivery of different kinds of equipment, ordered up to July 1, 1942 by the Trade Delegation of the U. S. S. R. in the United Kingdom and will find the further possibility of accepting new Soviet orders for industrial equipment for delivery during the Second Protocol.

The Soviet Government takes note of the U. S. Government’s statement regarding the impossibility, at the present time of satisfying the U. S. S. R. Government’s request for machinery and equipment for the U. S. S. R. Iron and Steel Industry, Petroleum Industry and Railroads. At the same time, the U. S. S. R. Government expresses its hope that, in the future, the U. S. Government may find it possible to satisfy the needs of the U. S. S. R. for the above mentioned equipment.

The Soviet Government expresses its satisfaction at the statement of the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom to the effect that they will be glad to reconsider, from time to time, the second program with the intention of finding out the possibilities of increasing the supply to the U. S. S. R. of military items and equipment which can he made available and delivered.

The Soviet Government authorizes its Purchasing Commission in Washington to adjust and clarify those items in the new Protocol which are in need of further adjustment and clarification.

It is presumed that the Second Protocol, like the Moscow Protocol, will be signed by the representatives of the three Governments concerned.

I am authorized to sign the Protocol on behalf of my Government.

My Government would like to have included in the Protocol the desiderata, expressed in paragraphs “a”, “b” and “c”.¹²

Sincerely yours,

Maxim Litvinoff

11. An identic note was addressed by the Soviet Ambassador in the United Kingdom, Ivan Mikhailovich Maisky, to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Anthony Eden, on the same day.
12. The decisions taken with respect to these requests of the Soviet Government are printed as Annex III to instruction No. 59 to the Chargé in the Soviet Union, October 13, p. 734.