711.94114 Supplies/21: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Standley ) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 10—1:35 p.m.]
1321. Your 771, August 30, 9 p.m., and my 1264, September 4, 1 p.m. I have for a number of months pursuant to instructions taken up actively with the Soviet Government the question of my Government’s desire to send medical and other much needed supplies to American prisoners of war in Jap custody. At each stage I have reported the attitude of the Soviet Government. For months no real progress resulted. This is evidenced in the written replies made by the Soviet Government. Recently our Government decided to present this matter again to the Soviet Government and in so doing to mention the Third Protocol and Lend-Lease shipments from the United States to the Soviet Union. Concurrently the War Department made representations to General Belyaev. On August 26 General Belyaev replied to the War Department stating that the Soviet Government was ready to begin carrying the supplies in question. On September 2 the Soviet Government, while making statements not accurately descriptive of its previous attitude, replied to the representations made on August 21 through diplomatic channels and agreed to our Government’s proposal.
[Page 817]The record on this important subject confirms me in the belief that the sound procedure for our Government to follow in its relations with the Soviet Government is to present matters in such a way that there will be constantly visible in the picture what each is doing for the other and what each is expecting of the other. These factors should always be readily apparent in the channels of contact flowing both to and from our respective countries. If we can by choice of instrumentalities, by the circumstances of our approach, and by unity of purpose cause the Soviet Government to have these various factors in mind and to see that our Government has them in mind, we shall contribute measureably toward attaining the results we desire.