800.796/624: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 16—2:30 p.m.]
858. Department’s 475, March 3, midnight. In a note dated March 11 Molotov stated that the draft agenda for negotiations of postwar aviation as well as the questions regarding the authority of an international organization on air transport has been transmitted to the competent Soviet authorities for preliminary study. He states that at the same time he considers it necessary to call attention to the fact that in my note of February 17 (based on Department’s 309, February 15, 7 [8] p.m.) I inquired whether the Soviet Government desired to participate in the initial stages of the negotiations mentioned therein whereas the text of the note left no doubt that it was a question of the participation of the Soviet Union in negotiations between the Governments of the United States, Great Britain and Canada. In accordance with such an understanding of our proposal he informed me of the consent of the Soviet Government to participate in these negotiations. He points out, however, that in my note of February 26 (based on Department’s 389, February 23, 9 p.m.) and in my note of March 6 (based on Department’s 475, March 3, midnight) I mentioned bilateral negotiations on the one part between the United States of America and the U.S.S.R. and on the other, bilateral negotiations between the United States of America, Great Britain and Canada. Molotov expressed the hope that in the near future I will be able to remove the lack of clearness and consistency which appear in this connection in the aforementioned notes.
The wording of the Embassy’s first note to the Foreign Office on this subject closely followed Department’s telegram No. 309, February 15, 7 [8] p.m. The pertinent sentence read as follows: “I have [Page 416] been requested to ascertain the degree of interest of the Soviet Government in this matter and whether it would desire to join in discussions at an early stage.”
In my note of February 26 based on Department’s 389, 1 informed Molotov that the discussions with the British and Canadians would take place about the third week in March, that my Government would be prepared to begin similar bilateral discussions in Washington with the Soviet Government any time after that convenient to the Soviet Government and that it would be helpful to learn whether the Soviet Government was in principle interested in engaging in such conversations.
I suggest that the Department instruct me urgently on what reply to make. Molotov’s reply obviously shows that he does not like the idea of the Soviets being excluded from the initial conversations with the British and the Canadians. I do not think we can take for granted that the Soviets will agree to bilateral conversations with us separate from those with the British.