740.0011 Moscow/10–1843
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The Chinese Ambassador called at his request. He said that he merely called to thank me again for what my Government had done for China during the Conference. He then inquired whether I had anything else in mind about the occurrences in the Conference that would be of interest to his Government.
I replied that I had nothing especial, but that I might say that throughout the Conference all Russian officials were exceedingly cordial and friendly and when matters of difference were under discussion they talked them out with us in a thoroughly agreeable spirit. I added that this was a splendid state of mind with which to launch the great forward movement of international cooperation with Russia for the first time a full-fledged member of it without special reservation of any kind, that all of the signs indicate that Mr. Stalin15 and his Government are opposed to isolation and are wholeheartedly in favor of the movement of international cooperation launched by this Conference with Russia as a full partner with the United States, Great Britain and China.
I then made clear to the Ambassador that neither I nor my associates had intimated anything to the press about China’s difficulties in being permitted to become one of the original signatories to the Four-Nation Declaration except that last evening in answer to a question as to who sent for the Ambassador to come and sign, I replied that the Conference sent for him and there was no opposition to China as such in the Conference.
The Ambassador said that he was pleased to have no publicity about China’s difficulty and had cautioned his Government to say nothing whatever about it, although he had given the Generalissimo the facts as to just what had occurred for his confidential and personal information.
The Ambassador then said in great confidence that he had been authorized by the Generalissimo when he came to Moscow to say to Mr. Stalin that if and when Russia should decide to enter the war against Japan, China would be ready to make any kind of alliance with the Soviet Union.
The Ambassador had first inquired whether the Russians had said anything about Japan. I replied that I had nothing in mind that could be taken up with him in that connection; that of course it is my rule to give him the fullest possible information at all times in regard to matters of interest to either of our Governments.
- Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin, Chairman of the Council of Commissars (Premier) of the Soviet Union.↩