Office of the Historian

740.00119 European War 1939/12–1344: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)

Washington, December 22, 1944—9 p.m.

2875. Deptel 2727, November 23, 6 p.m., urtel 4800, December 13, noon.96 We agree, of course, with the British position that since the Rumanian armistice was a tripartite agreement on the Allied side the question of valuation of reparation deliveries should be settled on a tripartite basis.

However, in view of Rumanian agreement to the use of 1938 prices as the basis of valuation, Department would not be inclined to make an issue of this point with the Soviet Government unless the agreed prices diverge greatly from currently prevailing prices.

Information so far available to Department is insufficient to permit us to form an accurate judgment as to possible consequences of the Soviet valuation formula. We are today wiring Berry at Bucharest97 (repeated to you as No. 2874) to find out exactly what is meant by the term “1938 prices”.

Meanwhile you are requested to withhold any representations on this question pending further instructions.

Stettinius
  1. Latter not printed; it quoted a letter of December 10 from the British Chargé in Moscow to the Soviet Foreign Minister (740.00119 EW 1939/12–1344).↩
  2. Telegram 33, December 22, not printed.↩