The President of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Soviet Union (Stalin) to President Roosevelt 39
Availing myself of the opportunity to send you a personal message afforded by Mr. Standley proceeding to Washington, I would like to express a few considerations on the military supplies from the United States to the U. S. S. R.
It is reported that the difficulties with supplies are caused primarily by the shortage of shipping. In order to ease the shipping situation, the Soviet Government would agree to certain cuts in the American supplies of armaments to the Soviet Union. We should be prepared temporarily to have discontinued the supplies of tanks, artillery, ammunition, [Page 731] revolvers and such like. At the same time we are in extreme need of an increase in the supply of fighter planes of modern types (such as for instance Aircobras) and in getting under all circumstances certain kinds of other supplies. It should be borne in mind that Kittyhawk planes are not up to the mark in the fight against modern German fighter planes.
It would be good, if the U. S. A. could in any case insure our getting every month the following supplies:
- 500 fighter planes
- 8 to 10 thousand trucks
- 5000 tons of aluminum
- 4 to 5 thousand tons of explosives.
In addition to this it, is important to get the supply during 12 months of two million tons of grain (wheat), and also as much as possible of fats, food concentrates and canned meat. A considerable amount of these foodstuffs could be shipped via Vladivostok on Soviet ships, if the U. S. consented to concede to the U. S. S. R. at least 20 to 30 ships. I have already spoken to Mr. Willkie about all this and am sure that he will communicate it to you.
As regards the situation at the front, you are of course aware that during the last few months the situation grew worse in the south, especially in the Stalingrad sector, due to the shortage of planes, particularly fighter planes. The Germans turned out to have a large reserve of planes. In the South the Germans have at least a double supremacy in the air, which prevents us from giving our troops cover. The practice of the war has shown that the most gallant troops become powerless if they are not shielded from the air.
- Copy obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y. This letter was sent by the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs to Ambassador Standley, who was returning to Washington for consultation, for delivery to President Roosevelt. Another copy had been sent for transmission through Ambassador Litvinov, and this translation was given to the White House Map Room to file by Harry Hopkins at 4:40 p.m., October 11, 1942.↩