500.CC/7–2044
The Soviet Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
The Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics refers to the Aide-Mémoire handed by Secretary of State Hull to Soviet Chargé d’Affaires Kapustin on July 12.
The Soviet Government agrees that the forthcoming negotiations be regarded as a preliminary stage of discussing the question regarding the organization of international security and, in connection with it, does not consider it necessary for the parties to start the exchange of views with a presentation of any written drafts. The principal task in the mentioned informal discussions should be considered the exchange of views for the establishment of a common point of view of the three Governments on the main questions of the universal organization of security with the purpose of working out the principal provisions for the establishment of the mentioned organization. Therefore the Soviet Government considers it desirable to accept in the beginning a less binding form of discussion. Such a preliminary exchange of views, possibly, would contribute in a better way for a quicker working out by the Allied Governments drafts of an international organization of security, which would serve as basis for working out afterwards an agreed upon draft of the three Governments. The Soviet Government supposes besides that, after such a preliminary exchange of views in Washington, the participating in the discussions parties, if they will have any prepared drafts, could enter their proposals in written form.
The Soviet Government would prefer to start the discussions approximately on August 10, if this date would be acceptable for the American and British Governments.
As regards the sequence of the discussions between the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union and the discussions between the United States, Great Britain and China the Soviet Government proposes that these discussions be conducted not simultaneously but at a different time, i.e. first should take place one cycle of discussions, [Page 670] and after its completion the other cycle of discussions. Besides, the Soviet Government would agree to any sequence of these two cycles of the discussions.