093.112/673: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 26—1:30 p.m.]
1040. The Foreign Office has informed me that according to Soviet regulations, the question of awarding foreign decorations to Soviet citizens should be taken up in the first instance with the Soviet Government, i.e., the Foreign Office, whose concurrence should be sought, but that the recipients of the decorations might be named either by the foreign state when the question of decorations was raised by it or subsequently by the appropriate Soviet agency or organization. (This would seem to cover Department’s 119, January 21, 3 p.m.)2
General Deane has also been advised that this question should be handled initially through the Foreign Office.
In accordance with authority extended by the War Department to General Deane, I addressed to Molotov on March 14 a note stating that the United States Government desired to award 195 American decorations [Page 843] to members of the Red Army for acts of valor or outstanding performance of duty in five specified Soviet military campaigns during the past 5 months.
I have now received a note from Molotov requesting me to transmit the thanks of the Soviet Government to the United States Government in the premises and stating that the Soviet Government would communicate in the near future the names of the individuals entitled to the awards.3