711.62114/10–1144
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
The Soviet Military Mission in the United Kingdom requested early in September that all Soviet nationals who had been captured in German uniforms or serving in Todt organisations and held as prisoners of war in the United Kingdom, should be released from prisoner of war status and treated as members of the Soviet forces; and the [Page 1258] Mission suggested further that, pending their repatriation to the U.S.S.R., they be organised under Soviet officers in companies and platoons to work in the interest of the British war effort until shipping was available.
- 2.
- His Majesty’s Government are prepared to agree to these proposals
subject to the following points:
- (a)
- Release from prisoner of war status would be conditional on enrolment and actual service in Soviet forces in the United Kingdom. No person who has been enrolled may be discharged in the United Kingdom from the Soviet forces,
- (b)
- Any individual whose liberty in the United Kingdom might endanger British security would remain a prisoner of war pending repatriation to U.S.S.R.,
- (c)
- Individuals would carry identity cards and be restricted to 5 miles radius from camps,
- (d)
- Formal agreement covering the exercise of jurisdiction and discipline by Soviet officers in United Kingdom would be concluded in similar terms to those agreed with other Allied Governments; and would issue an order under the Allied Forces Act of 1940 in order to put the agreement, into effect.
- 3.
- The Soviet Military Mission has been informed of this decision and a draft agreement is being prepared which when ready will be handed to the Soviet Ambassador for submission to his Government.
- 4.
- Subsequent to the decision referred to above, the Foreign Office received from the Soviet Embassy in London a Note which is apparently identical with the one received by the State Department76 in which the Soviet Government protested strongly against the “mistreatment” of Russians captured by the Allies and requested speedy action along certain lines.
- 5.
- The Foreign Office is at present considering what reply should be returned to the Soviet Embassy’s note, and feel that it will probably be necessary to refute their arguments and criticisms and to press the Soviet Government to agree to the Allied Forces Act procedure which will give them substantially all they want and more. As soon as an order under the Allied Forces Act is made, the position of these Soviet nationals would be analogous to that of other Allied Forces (apart from United States forces) in the United Kingdom. His Majesty’s Government are very anxious to adopt this procedure as there is not enough accommodation in the United Kingdom to hold all Soviet nationals (now numbering about 14000) as prisoners under British guard.
- 6.
- It had been hoped that the new proposal to change the status of these Soviet nationals into that of Allies by making an order under the Allied Forces Act, would meet the wishes of the Soviet Government, [Page 1259] especially as the Soviet Military Mission appeared to agree. The attitude of the Soviet Embassy now appears doubtful though it is not yet known whether this may be due to their not having fully understood the proposal and the advantage of making such an Order.
- 7.
- His Majesty’s Ambassador at Moscow was instructed on September 29th to convey His Majesty’s Government’s proposals to the Soviet Government.