Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Volume III

711.61/905

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State

[Washington,] June 9, 1943.

The Soviet Chargé d’Affaires⁶ called at my request and after expressing my pleasure in seeing him, I asked him whether he had any news of Ambassador Litvinov since naturally we had a very high regard for him and wanted to see him back in this country. He said the Ambassador had gone home on official business, that he was in Moscow now and that he knew he was well.

I then told the Chargé d’Affaires that during the Ambassador’s absence he should feel free to come and see me or other members of the Department on any occasion when we might be helpful in strengthening the important and warm relations that exist between the two countries and in promoting our common effort.

I said that I had asked him to come in in order to hand him the third Lend-lease Protocol. He said it was a very opportune moment since he could send it textually by the Russian delegates to the Food Conference⁷ who were leaving tomorrow morning at four o’clock. He then went on to say that the Russian delegation was departing well satisfied with the meeting at Hot Springs. They felt that not only had they been given every opportunity to collaborate but that also they were getting out of the Conference itself more than they had hoped. He warmly congratulated me on the organization of the conference by the American officials. I told the Chargé d’Affaires that many of these men had attended four or more conferences with me principally in connection with South American affairs and they too would share my satisfaction in hearing the Chargé d’Affaires’ statement. I added that we felt that the cooperation evidenced by the Russian delegation had been most helpful. He replied that the Soviet delegates felt that the organizational experience which they had obtained from the conference would be of value to them in future conferences.

I asked the Chargé d’Affaires regarding the military situation in the Soviet Union. He replied that they were expecting the opening of a German offensive at any moment. They were not as yet certain regarding the point which might be the center of this offensive. I told him that the United States Government desired to be of every possible help to the Soviet Union at this critical time.

C[ordell] H[ull]

6. Andrey Andreyevich Gromyko.
7. The United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture had been held at Hot Springs, Virginia, between May 18 and June 3, 1943; for correspondence concerning the Conference, see vol. i, pp. 820 ff. For a press statement on the summation of the results, see Department of State Bulletin, June 5, 1943, pp. 497–500.