740.0011 E.W. 1939/28755½
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The Soviet Ambassador called at my request. I said to him that the President and I were desirous of keeping him and his Government informed in every detail about our conversations with Anthony Eden, who has just left. I said to begin with that no agreements were entered into; that the conversations as a rule related to general principles and general ideas and policies with respect to the war or post-war situation; that I found in general there was agreement in principle; and that not one word was said that I would not be glad for Russia and China to know. I stated that I myself had nothing to do with any conversations pertaining to the military side of affairs at this time,—that the President and his military advisers deal with them here.
I said that among general views expressed were that it is all important that the four big nations, Russia, Great Britain, China and the United States, and in fact all the United Nations, must stand together during the war as well as after the war; that no two of them can control the post-war situation, except for a brief period of time at best, without the certainty that all people would feel that the world was again heading straight towards military destruction; that nobody would, therefore, plan ahead in a business way and that people with vision would become utterly discouraged with the world outlook and with their position in the world, with most unfortunate results. I said that with the world drawn so closely together and with its instruments of destruction so extensive it would be no easy undertaking [Page 45] to preserve world order in the future and that, therefore, any one or even two governments undertaking to control the world along the course of peace, stability, security and prosperity would find it an impossible task within a very few years’ time at the least. I said furthermore that such herculean efforts on the part of one or two countries would require permanent armaments by them on such a vast scale as to overburden their own people and hopelessly handicap their whole social and industrial progress. The Ambassador agreed. I further emphasized that I had said to Mr. Eden that it was an indispensable necessity that not two but all of our countries and governments should work together as one person if the war and post-war tasks were to be accomplished to a satisfactory extent. Mr. Eden agreed on this general proposition and while each of us expressed an anxious desire to work with Russia in the future and have Russia work with us, we also agreed that our two countries could and would thus work together as well.
I then remarked that inevitably agitators and trouble-making persons in my country, in Great Britain and in Russia alike perhaps will continue their chief avocation of stirring up trouble behind the military lines in political or social or other matters; that if the war goes on for some time, as it probably may, the populations of our respective countries suffering from their increasing privations and war burdens will be more and more susceptible to the preachments of these agitators. Therefore, in my opinion, it is highly important that each of our governments might well give increasing attention to restraining such activities before they reach a stage where the result would be materially handicapping in one way or another to the prosecution of the war. The Ambassador said he agreed with this view.
I also referred to our discussions with the British in regard to a formula for dealing with dependent peoples in all conditions and in doing so I explained that while, of course, no agreements were made and the entire matter was left open, there was discussion along these lines and up to the point contained in a draft of a plan which I sent to the President, the last draft of which was dated March ninth.57 I made it clear that the President may have more advanced views on certain phases than are set out in the draft formula and that he is perfectly free to stand for them when further stages have been reached. Some time was taken in outlining the substance of this draft to the Ambassador.
I remarked that China had indicated during these conversations that she did not want any additional territory in Asia.
The Ambassador asked some questions about India58 and I replied that everything practicable and feasible had been said by the President [Page 46] and myself to the British but that, of course, it could not well be made public at this time. I stated that we may probably find Churchill at the peace conference and in any event we cannot have a serious breach, personal or political, with him now even if we were disposed to do so; that in brief we hoped to see a general forward movement around the world relating to an awakening among all dependent peoples and that we further hoped increased attention and aid and encouragement would be given to them by all of the more advanced nations.
There were other general remarks and questions and answers but they were of no unusual significance.
- Vol. i, p. 747.↩
- For correspondence regarding the situation in India, see vol. iv, pp. 178 ff.↩