Office of the Historian

861.857/59a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley)

Washington, July 13, 1943—9 p.m.

554. Personal for the Ambassador. I asked the Soviet Chargé to call on July 12 to inform him that we had just been notified by the Navy Department that an American submarine had recently sunk a Soviet trawler by mistake in the Aleutian area. I showed him the brief report received from the Secretary of the Navy which stated that 2 of the crew of the trawler had been killed and 12 survivors taken aboard the submarine to be landed at some undesignated port in the Aleutians area.

I expressed to him the profound regret of this Government to the tragic occurrence and promised to convey to him the full details when all the facts were received from the Navy Department.32 I have also [Page 552] sent a note to the Soviet Chargé34 embodying a formal expression of this Government’s regret at this unfortunate accident.

The next time you have occasion to see Mr. Molotov please reiterate to him the profound regret and distress of this Government over this matter.35

Hull
  1. The full details of this incident were furnished by the Navy Department on July 19, July 23, and August 9 to the Office of the Naval Attaché of the Soviet Union, which appeared to be satisfied with the information received (861.857/62).↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. In telegram No. 930, July 24, 10 a.m., the Ambassador reported that he had expressed regrets to Molotov on July 23, which he accepted “in good spirit.” (861.857/60)↩