Office of the Historian

611.6131/646

Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Commercial Policy and Agreements (Hawkins)88

[Washington,] July 17, 1942.

There is attached a draft of a proposed exchange of notes89 with the Soviet Union continuing in force the Commercial Agreement of 193790 until August 6, 1942 [1943] and thereafter, unless superseded by a more comprehensive commercial agreement, subject to termination on six months’ written notice by either Government.

The attached draft combines both alternatives put forward by Mr. Gromyko in his conversation of July 10, 1942 with Mr. Henderson (memorandum of conversation is attached),91 and in addition the phrase “unless superseded by a more comprehensive commercial agreement” [Page 762] has been inserted. This seems particularly appropriate because of the possibilities suggested by Article VII of our master lend-lease agreement with the Soviet Union.92

If this meets with approval, at the earliest possible moment we will call in Mr. Gromyko and submit the attached draft exchange of notes for his consideration.

Harry C. Hawkins
  1. This memorandum was sent, together with proposed draft of Commercial Agreement, to the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Henderson) and to Assistant Secretary of State Dean Acheson, both of whom approved the proposed draft. The proposal was also called to the attention of Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles on July 22, 1942, who likewise agreed to it before the draft was to be presented to a member of the Soviet Embassy at 4 o’clock in the afternoon of this same day.↩
  2. Not attached to this memorandum; for text as finally formulated, see note of July 31, 1942, to the Soviet Ambassador, p. 763.↩
  3. For the exchange of notes signed August 4, 1937, see Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 105, or 50 Stat. (pt. 2) 1619.↩
  4. Supra.↩
  5. Signed at Washington on June 11, 1942; for text, see Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 253, or 56 Stat. (pt. 2) 1500.↩