Office of the Historian

740.0011 EW 1939/32362a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)1

confidential
(part restricted)
Washington, December 4, 1943—midnight.

1342–1344.2 Morning press in the United States headlined stories from London that the Moscow radio had announced in an official Soviet news agency broadcast for provincial Russian papers that:

“A few days ago, in Teheran, a conference took place between the leaders of the three Allied powers, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin. Diplomatic and military representatives took part in the conference.

“At the conference, questions on the conduct of the war against Germany were discussed as well as a number of political questions.

“Corresponding decisions were adopted which will be made public later.”

No word having been received in this country of the conclusion of the conference and there being nothing to announce in the United States, the publication in Moscow has created a furor in the press. OWI Director Elmer Davis has requested the Department to ascertain the circumstances of the announcement and particularly whether this was a violation of any release date agreed upon by the conferees. We had all assumed that an arrangement would be made for simultaneous publication in the USSR, Great Britain and the United States but so far have no definite information about such an arrangement. Any information you are able to send us about the Moscow broadcast will assist greatly.

Hull
  1. Harriman did not return to Moscow from Tehran until December 5, 1943. During his absence, however, no officer at the post was designated as Chargé.↩
  2. This telegram was sent in three sections.↩