811.2361/34: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Hamilton) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 24(25)—9:30 a.m.]
1456. Vyshinsky asked me to call at the Foreign Office at 8 o’clock tonight at which time he read to me a statement to the following effect:
The Soviet Government desires to inform the American Embassy that on September 12 three American planes flew over Kamchatka and were forced to land because of engine trouble. Later on the same day four additional American planes flew over Kamchatka, Soviet planes went up and caused the American planes to land. The crews of the planes have been interned in accordance with International Law. The Soviet Government desires that the American Government take steps to prevent repetition of such occurrences and requests that the Embassy communicate the foregoing to the United States Government.
After reading the statement Vyshinsky said that he wished to draw attention to the facts that there had been two previous occasions on which American planes had landed in the Soviet Far East, namely, in April 1942 and August 1942 [1943].50
I told Vyshinsky that I would communicate the foregoing promptly to my Government.
Vyshinsky said that the Soviet Government had not yet received the names of the personnel of the American planes and that upon receipt thereof the names would be communicated to the Embassy. In reply to my question whether the planes were Army or Navy planes he stated that he did not know and added that communications between Moscow and the Soviet Far East were bad.
Vyshinsky did not give me any written record of what he said. His manner while direct was friendly.
- With respect to these landings, see Embassy’s telegrams No. 126, April 24, 1942, 2 p.m., Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. iii, p. 545, first paragraph on p. 548, and No. 1224, August 30, 1943, ante, p. 688.↩