861.24/1092a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley)
289. From Hopkins for Faymonville. In order to make possible the forwarding into the U. S. S. R. of increased supplies, the project for improvement of the Persian Corridor has been approved and in this country organization is well advanced. Included in the project will be operation by United States of that section of the railroad which is now controlled by the British32 and operation of ports serving the railroad to include Bandar Shahpur, Khorramshahr and Tenuma33 as well as Bushire. A freighting service by motor transport will also be operated by the United States. It should be realized, of course, that because of shipping and other factors involved it will be some time before this organization can become really effective.
To command the expanded Persian Gulf Service Command General Donald H. Connolly has been selected and will leave for his new station in the near future. Recently General Connolly has been Military Director of Civilian Aviation, Army Air Forces. General Connolly has, as you know, made a great success of his work with C. W. A.34 and W. P. A.35 as well as in the capacity of Administrator of Civil Aeronautics in the Department of Commerce.
In order to help in the coordination of General Connolly’s work, it is suggested that you make contact with him soon after his arrival.
With reference to your telegram to Stettinius; no. 392,36 we are arranging on the following United States delivery schedule repayment of the 176 Aircobras which have been diverted to United States Air Forces in the United Kingdom: 60 in October, 70 in November and 46 in December.
With reference to your telegram no. 390,37 it is the President’s policy to make ships and cargoes available to the limit of the port and inland clearance of the Persian Corridor and to the limit of the convoy schedules to North Russia. To the limit of the ability of the U. S. S. R. to lift cargo by way of the Pacific, cargo is also to be made available.
There are at the present time some 25 United States ships which prior to September left this country to full our quota of convoy PQ–19 and which are now available for such convoy. In order to fill our [Page 729] quota of any additional convoys, additional ships will be loaded and dispatched. The basic decisions pertaining to convoys to North Russia must rest with Great Britain for, as you know, such convoys are conducted by Great Britain under extremely difficult conditions.
By way of the Persian Gulf route we are sending cargo in excess of the total which in the opinion of local officials can be unloaded at ports and cleared therefrom. As a matter of fact, at the ports in this region there is already considerable congestion.
We are in agreement that truck deliveries should be substantially increased on the Persian Gulf route because of the value of the cargo they can clear as well as for the value of the trucks themselves. The low August figure was due to the fact that in large part the capacity of the route was utilized by a number of ships which had been diverted from the north convoy route. Cargo of those ships did not include any appreciable number of trucks. For September loading it is anticipated that 3550 trucks will be lifted on the ships made available. You will understand that this does not indicate that loading had been completed by October 1. In corresponding October ships it is hoped that this number may be increased by an appreciable amount. [Hopkins.]