811.2361/13: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:23 p.m.]
701. The distinguished flyer Captain Eddie Rickenbacker85 arrived in Kuibyshev on Saturday June 19 without any prior notification and reached Moscow the following morning. He is travelling in a personal military plane (C–87) accompanied by Colonel Nuckols of General Arnold’s staff, Major Sherry of General Eisenhower’s staff and Dr. Dahl a private physician. Rickenbacker has informed [me] that visas and other arrangements for his entry into the Soviet Union were taken care of in Washington 6 weeks ago by himself personally through Stettinius,86 General Belayev87 and Litvinov. His instructions which were issued by Stimson do not mention travel to the Soviet Union. I understand that Litvinov had furnished him with letters of introduction to the Soviet representatives in Tehran and Chungking from whom he received every courtesy and cooperation. Apparently the Russians had complete knowledge of his movements. He was met at the airfield by representatives of the Commissariat for Defense and prior reservations had been made for his party at the [Page 669] National Hotel. The British also had advance notice of the visit. The first advice the Embassy received however as to his arrival was obtained from Kuibyshev late in the evening preceding the day of his arrival.
Rickenbacker desires to obtain here certain military information concerning the use of military Lend-Lease supplies. He desires to call on Molotov and Stalin, to visit certain Soviet military enterprises and to make a trip to the front. In the absence of any information or instructions from the Department I am making every effort to further the desires of Captain Rickenbacker and I have requested my Military Attaché to assist him in every way possible.