740.0011 European War 1939/28325

Memorandum by the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs ( Henderson ) to the Acting Chief of the Division ( Atherton )

Mr. Atherton: You will recall that I introduced Captain Mirles, of the Free French Squadron in the Soviet Union, to you. The mother of Captain Mirles was Russian and he should be regarded as extremely pro-Russian and to an extent pro-Soviet. I considered him as an exceptional[ly] fine type of French Army officer.

You will note that in his talk with Mr. Gallman8 he said that “Civilians in general in Russia …9 know nothing about the efforts we and the British have made and are making to send equipment to Russia”. Captain Mirles, who works closely with Soviet Army officers, told me the same thing with greater emphasis. In my own mind I am absolutely convinced that he is right. It would appear that since the Ambassador’s statement to the press, for the first time in fifteen months Soviet officials are acknowledging the helpfulness of British and American supplies.10

  1. Waldemar J. Gallman, First Secretary of Embassy in the Soviet Union. The conversation was reported in his despatch No. 7734, February 16; not printed.
  2. Omission indicated in the original memorandum.
  3. Public recognition of the value of American assistance was given by Ambassador Litvinov at a luncheon on March 11 with the Executive Staff of the Lend-Lease Administration (Embassy of the Soviet Union, Information Bulletin, No. 26, March 13, 1943, p. 1) and in the Soviet press by publication of several statements by the Lend-Lease Administrator, Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. See infra, and New York Times, March 11, 1943, p. 3, col. 1, and March 15, 1943, p. 4, col. 5.