811.3361/11–244: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan)
2667. Department has been requested in writing by War and Navy to take up formally with the Soviet Government the question of Soviet delay in acting on visa applications for United States naval and military [Page 931] personnel assigned for duty in the Soviet Union (Department’s 2550, October 28, 8 p.m.).79 After consultation with War and Navy on the basis of Embassy’s 4207, November 2, Department desires that you deliver personally to Vyshinski a note along the following lines:
Begins.
The United States Government desires to call to the attention of the Soviet Government the unexplained and protracted delays which continue to occur in action on applications for Soviet visas officially requested by this Government for United States military and naval personnel assigned for duty in the Soviet Union. The specific cases involving extended delays have been on a number of occasions brought to the attention of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs by the Embassy and to the attention of the Soviet military authorities by the United States Military Mission in Moscow, but so far no reply has been received on these representatives.
As the Soviet Government is aware the assignment of United States military and naval personnel to the Soviet Union has in every case a direct connection with the common war effort against Germany, and in many cases these offices and technicians have been assigned to the Soviet Union for the specific purpose of facilitating the shipment of supplies from the United States to the Soviet Union. Already the delays which have been encountered from the failure of the Soviet Government to act promptly on these applications have had an adverse effect upon the practical arrangements for the expeditious movement of supplies to the Soviet Union. It is obvious that the United States military authorities engaged in the handling of supplies to the Soviet Union cannot plan in advance the necessary technical arrangements if continued delays are encountered in obtaining visas for specially trained personnel assigned to the Soviet Union for that purpose.
The United States Government, therefore, proposes that a reciprocal arrangement be entered into between the two Governments whereby applications for visas for the members of their respective Armed Forces, not covered by the reciprocal waiver of visa requirements for operational personnel already in effect, be acted upon within 15 days after date of application. Under such an arrangement the two Governments would reciprocally undertake either to grant visas for military personnel within a maximum period of 15 days from the date of application or within the same period to communicate the reasons why a specific application or applications could not be granted.
The United States Government is seriously concerned over the inevitable adverse affect on the movement of supplies from the United States to the Soviet Union which a continuation of the delays at present encountered in regard to applications for Soviet visas for United States military and naval personnel will inevitably entail. The United States Government, therefore, attaches the highest importance to the conclusion of some arrangement along the above lines to insure expeditious handling on a reciprocal basis of the visa applications of their respective military and naval personnel. Ends.
In delivering the note you should at the same time endeavor to impress upon Vyshinski orally the importance which the United States military authorities attach to the early conclusion of the 15-day agreement and immediate action on the pending cases.80
- Not printed; but see footnote 74, p. 927.↩
- In telegram 4392, November 16, 4 p.m., Kennan advised the Department that in the absence of Vyshinsky, he communicated the note on November 16 to Assistant People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Dekanozov (811.3361/11–1644). The Chargé was able to report in telegram 4474, November 23, that visas had been recently authorized for six of the United States naval officers (811.111 Diplomatic 61/1229).↩