740.0011 Moscow/23a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in the Soviet Union (Hamilton)
970. The British Embassy informs us this morning that the Soviets agree no announcement will be made of arrival of delegates or arrangements for the conference until a joint text has been agreed upon at Moscow. The Department hopes that the text of this statement can be communicated to us prior to its release with specific information as to whether it may be given out in the three Capitals simultaneously.
[In a letter from London, October 10, 1943, to the Secretary of State, the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck) reported that sentiment among British leaders favored “the concept that in the formation of an ‘Executive Committee’ for United Nations purposes, an arrangement among four Powers (that is including China) would be better than either a two Powers or a three Powers arrangement”. Text of this letter is printed in full in Foreign Relations, China, 1943, page 821.]
- Secretary of State Hull and members of the American delegation left Washington for Moscow on October 7, 1943, and arrived there on October 18. The greatest possible degree of secrecy was maintained with regard to details of their departure and itinerary, in order to assure their safe journey. To help maintain this secrecy, outgoing telegrams and other messages during the period of Mr. Hull’s journey to Moscow continued to be signed with his name rather than that of Mr. Stettinius, the Acting Secretary of State. In printing these telegrams Mr. Hull’s name has been omitted and that of the Acting Secretary (Stettinius) has been inserted in brackets. Incoming messages were addressed to the Secretary of State instead of to the Acting Secretary, according to the usual practice when the Secretary is absent.↩