Office of the Historian

196.6/1500: Telegram

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

Washington, August 14, 1943—8 p.m.

692. Your 212, March 26, 1943, 5 p.m. The Department has been informed by Admiral Land that your proposals have been discussed with the British Shipping Mission in Washington, who have informed him as follows:

The proposals have been accepted by the Ministry of War Transport, and the Foreign Office is instructing the British Ambassador that, acting in conjunction with you, he should intimate that the Soviet offer of spending money for crews would be accepted if put forward officially by the Soviet authorities providing that actual distributions would be made by WSA and MWT29a representatives. The British Ambassador is instructed also to ask the Soviet authorities to give consideration to the position of crane ships and survivors in the hope [Page 686] that the official offer may make special provision for these cases. He is not to ask for the diplomatic rate of exchange for these cases, and the position is to be reviewed jointly, if necessary, in the light of the Soviet offer when made.

The Ministry of War Transport believes it is important that equal treatment in North Russian ports be received by British and American crews. As soon as the Soviet offer of spending money for crews has been accepted, the Ministry would therefore be agreeable to adopting your proposal that no further advances should be made at the diplomatic rate by either WSA or MWT, but that in case drawings in excess of the Soviet gratuities are made both should charge their crews at the official rate. If the Soviet offer fails to provide adequately for crews on crane ships or for survivors, the Ministry of War Transport points out that it may be necessary for them to make special arrangements, probably including advances at the diplomatic rate.

Acting in coordination with the British Ambassador, you may in your discretion inform the Soviet authorities that this Government is prepared to accept the proposal set forth in your 1070, December 9, 1942.30

Hull
  1. War Shipping Administration and Ministry of War Transport, respectively.↩
  2. Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. iii, p. 674.↩