711.94114 Supplies/60: Telegram

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

1869. Your 1146, November 1, 5 p.m. On November 4 we took this matter up at the Foreign Office. We were asked whether cars of relief supplies now at Portland and cars en route to Portland represented more than the 1500 tons which the Soviet Government had agreed to forward to Vladivostok to be held for onward shipment to Japan. The Foreign Office pointed out that the Soviet Government had agreed to accept one month’s stock of supplies, namely, 1500 tons prior to the working out of arrangements between the American Government and the Japanese Government for onward shipment of these supplies from Vladivostok to Japan. The Foreign Office stated that the Soviet Government’s agreement did not cover shipments in addition to the amount for one month unless and until an agreement for onward shipment had been arrived at between the American and the Japanese Governments. The Foreign Office stated that according to its information 500 tons had already arrived at Vladivostok; that 1,000 tons were at Portland awaiting shipment; that the Soviet representative at Portland had been instructed to arrange for the shipment of a total of 1500 tons of supplies including those already shipped; and that if any difficulty had arisen in regard to the 1500 tons which the Soviet Government had agreed to accept, further instructions would be issued to the Soviet representatives at Portland to carry out the Soviet Government’s original instruction. We pointed [Page 823] out to the Foreign Office that possibly a misunderstanding had arisen as to whether the Soviet Government’s agreement to the United States Government’s proposal was restricted to acceptance of only one month’s supplies (1500 tons) prior to the conclusion of an agreement by the United States Government with the Japanese Government for onward shipment to Japan. The Soviet Foreign Office officials were insistent that the Soviet Government’s agreement to our proposal covered only one month’s shipment prior to the working out of an agreement with Japan. Officers of the Embassy are of the opinion that the Soviet Foreign Office’s attitude is in conformity with the text of the Foreign Office note of September 2 (see the Embassy’s telegram 1264, September 4, 1 p.m., and the Embassy’s despatch number 256, September 1715). We recommend that we not endeavor to increase the stockpile at Vladivostok beyond 1500 tons until agreement with Japan has been reached.

Harriman
  1. Latter not printed, but see footnote 3, p. 815.