740.0011 Moscow/81: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Hamman ) to the Acting Secretary of State

1749. DelAm 31. For the President and Acting Secretary from the Secretary of State. Reference DelAm No. 2613 and 25.14 At the session this afternoon after considerable discussion of the text the Conference adopted an approved text of the Four Nation Declaration with minor changes which I will give below. Molotov agreed on behalf of the Soviet Government to the participation of China as an original signatory. He voiced doubt, however, as to whether the Chinese Government would be able to send the necessary powers to the Chinese Ambassador here to sign declaration before Conference closed. I regard it as of the very highest importance that every effort be made to ensure that Chiang Kai-shek send these powers to the Chinese Ambassador in Moscow instantly. I saw the Chinese Ambassador immediately after close of today’s session and impressed on him with great earnestness the extreme urgency of the matter in the interests of all of us and particularly in interests of China that he should be empowered to sign before the end of the Conference which I told him might well be before the end of this week. He is telegraphing immediately direct to Chungking for immediate authorization to sign the declaration.

The following are the unimportant modifications made at today’s session when the declaration was adopted in the text as communicated to you in DelAm No. 25 [26]. The preamble remains the same except for the addition of the words “of America” after “the United States”. Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 remain unchanged. In article 6 the words “after the termination of hostilities” were substituted for “following the defeat of the enemy.” Article 8 was dropped at my suggestion following Molotov’s apparent doubt as to exact meaning of the wording.

Please communicate instantly to Chungking for transmission to Chiang Kai-shek the additional unimportant changes which were introduced in the text before the declaration was finally adopted, and please instruct the Ambassador to urge upon the Generalissimo the vital importance of the immediate despatch of full powers by cable to his Ambassador here to sign this declaration. [Hull.]

Harriman
  1. Not printed.
  2. Telegram No. 1729, October 26, 5 a.m, from the Ambassador in the Soviet Union, p. 827.