800.515/1012: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 21—4:18 a.m.]
1380. For Secretary Morgenthau. Molotov30 asked me to call on him this evening at 11:30 and read me the following statement:
“1. There exists among our financial experts a major discord with respect to the basic conditions of the organization of the International Monetary Fund. The majority of our experts object to a series of points.
Speaking with complete frankness, the Government of the U.S.S.R. has not yet succeeded in studying fully the basic conditions in question.
However, if it is necessary to the Government of the United States of America to have the voice of the U.S.S.R. to secure due effect in the external world, the Soviet Government agrees to give instructions to its experts to associate themselves with the project of Mr. Morgenthau.”
Molotov explained that this was not to be a reservation of the experts but that it expressed for your information the present attitude of the Soviet Government. If under these circumstances you wished it, he would instruct his experts to associate themselves with the Monetary Fund statement.
I told Molotov there was not time for me to obtain a reply from you and therefore suggested that he instruct his experts to associate themselves with the Monetary Fund statement provided you approved under the circumstances. Molotov agreed and will instruct his experts to get in touch with Mr. White on receipt of this cable.
I suggest you telephone me as early as possible to advise me of your decision in order that I may tell Molotov who said he is prepared to publish the Monetary Fund statement in Moscow if you approve.
- Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs.↩