Moscow Embassy Files, Lot F–96
The Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs ( Molotov ) to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Standley )
Dear Mr. Ambassador: I transmit herewith for your information the text of a personal message from Premier I. V. Stalin to the Prime Minister, Mr. W. Churchill, and the President, Mr. F. Roosevelt.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“With regard to the meeting of representatives of our Government and perhaps precisely the representatives in charge of foreign affairs, I share your opinion regarding the expediency of such a meeting in the near future. This meeting, however, should not be of a narrow [Page 515] exploratory character but of a practical preparatory character in order that after the conference our Governments might take definite decisions and at the same time might avoid delays in taking decisions on urgent questions.
Therefore, I consider it necessary to revert to my proposal that the range of questions to be discussed by the representatives of the three powers should be determined in advance and the proposals selected which are to be studied by them and presented to our Governments for final decision.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24 August 1943.”
The above message has been telegraphed to A. A. Sobolev, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U. S. S. R. in London, for transmission to its destination.
Please, Mr. Ambassador, accept [etc.]
- This translation of the original message is from the files of the Embassy at Moscow. Other portions of this message are printed on p. 783 and in Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943, p. 22.↩