093.112/8–2244: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:30 p.m.]
3107. For the President and Secretary.
Molotov came to the Embassy this afternoon to receive the 195 decorations awarded by the United States to officers and men of the Red Army. He was accompanied by Vyshinski, Colonel General Kuznetsov, Chief of Staff to Marshal Vasilevski,31 Colonel General Nikitin,32 Deputy Chief of the Red Air Staff and other officers of the Red Army and the Foreign Office.
[Page 902]In reply to my remarks in making the presentation, he spoke of the effect of the awards as strengthening still further the friendship between the Soviet Union and the United States and referred to the conference that opened yesterday in Washington,33 the success of which, he said, was assured by the good will of the peace-loving countries and the consciousness of the need of real guarantees against the instigators of new wars.
He stayed for an hour and we had a most cordial conversation. He said that he had received favorable reports of the opening of the conversations in Washington. He spoke with great respect of the Secretary and the work he did at the Moscow Conference34 in laying the foundations for the present discussions.
He said that Marshal Stalin had a very high personal esteem for the President and was confident that he was in agreement with the President on all fundamental questions.
- Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, Chief of the General Staff.↩
- Alexey Vasilyevich Nikitin, who had received a decoration from Ambassador Harriman on June 5, 1944.↩
- The Conference on International Peace and Security Organization had opened at Dumbarton Oaks. For correspondence on this conference, see vol. i, pp. 713 ff.↩
- For correspondence on the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers, October 18–iNovember 1, 1943, see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. i, pp. 513 ff.↩