861.01/2297: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 3—12:55 p.m.]
347. The official communiqué concerning the tenth session of the Supreme Soviet reports that on February 1st at 7 p.m. the Supreme Soviet Lenin [held a?] joint session to consider the question of the reorganization of the All Union Commissariats of Defense and Foreign Affairs as Union Republican Commissariats. Molotov’s report on this subject was frequently interrupted by prolonged applause giving expression to the approval of the proposals introduced by the Soviet of People’s Commissars of the USSR and to the confidence that the forthcoming state reorganization would assist in the further strengthening of the state.29 Molotov was followed by the following deputies: Y. I. Paletskis, Lithuanian SSR; M. D. Bagirov, Azerbaidzhanian SSR; V. T. Latsis, Latvian SSR; P. K. Ponomarenko, White Russian SSR; A. A. Bogomolets, Ukrainian SSR; I. Ya. Vares, Estonian SSR; M. S. Grechukha, Ukrainian SSR; and P. S. Prokkonen, Karelo Finnish SSR.
The communiqué states that in the absence of opposition to the proposals Molotov refrained from making a final statement. The Supreme Soviet voting by houses then unanimously adopted the “law for the creation of military formations in the Union Republics and for the corresponding reorganization of the People’s Commissariat of Defense from an All-Union to a Union Republican People’s Commissariat” and the “law for granting the Union Republics plenipotentiary powers in the field of foreign relations and the corresponding reorganization of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs from an All-Union to a Union Republican People’s Commissariat”.30
[Page 811]The Supreme Soviet then proceeded to the third point on the agenda concerning a first vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This question was presented by Kalinin who proposed that N. M. Shvernik be elected First Vice President. Voting jointly the Supreme Soviet unanimously elected Nikolai Mikhailovich Shvernik, First Vice President of the Presidium.
Thereupon the tenth session of the Supreme Soviet rose.
- A full translation of Molotov’s speech was sent to the Department in telegram 359 on February 3. In particular, about the Commissariats for Foreign Affairs, Molotov explained: “After the establishment of the Union of Soviet [Socialist] Republics in 1922 foreign political relations were entirely concentrated in the All Union People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs and the separate republics turned over their plenipotentiary powers in foreign relations to this Commissariat. Now the Government of the Union proposed to grant to the Union Republics plenipotentiary powers to enter into direct relations with foreign states and to conduct [conclude?] agreements with them. It is natural that the granting to the Republics of plenipotentiary powers in the field of foreign relations makes it necessary to create Commissariats for Foreign Affairs in the Union Republics and to reorganize the All Union Commissariat for Foreign Affairs as a Union Republican People’s Commissariat.” (861.01./2298)↩
- Translations of the texts of these laws were sent to the Department in telegram 413, February 8, 1944, from Moscow (not printed). A translation of the law regarding the Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, and a partial translation of the circular note of February 11, from the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs about this reorganization were printed in Department of State Bulletin, May 6, 1944, p. 421.↩