711.94114 Supplies/11–344: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 3—6:03 p.m.]
4220. The Foreign Office informed us by telephone this evening that the Hakusan Maru arrived at Nakhodka at 7:00 a.m., November 3, Moscow time, to load relief supplies for Allied nationals in Japanese custody. The master of the vessel has stated that he will not receipt for the cargo by numerical count of packages but will receipt only for the number of tons taken aboard calculated on the basis of the draft of the ship before and after loading. The Foreign Office inquired whether such a receipt supplemented by a unilateral certificate of the Soviet authorities with regard to the number of packages loaded would be acceptable to the American Government. We replied that if this was the best that could be obtained without delaying the departure of the ship it would be acceptable.