033.1161/7–2944: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
1820. General Fleming has been shown your 2738, July 24 and is going ahead with plans for his trip. In accordance with your recommendations he would like to meet with officials in charge of reconstruction and development of cities. He is more interested in talking with officials and examining plans and projects than in visiting actual developments.
General Fleming would also like to talk with officials in charge of plans for highway construction and development since he saw a great deal of the Soviet Commission which visited the United States sometime ago to study this subject.
Another subject in which he is particularly interested is the construction of what are known in the United States as Federal public buildings, such as Government office buildings, capitols, post offices, et cetera. He feels that plans for construction of buildings of this type must be under consideration both in the liberated areas and in the cities in eastern Russia and Siberia which have grown so rapidly in population since the beginning of the war.
General Fleming is not particularly interested in irrigation, soil conservation, reforestation, nor in power developments.
As General Fleming wishes to leave as soon as possible please take up with the appropriate authorities the question of his Soviet visa. Application will be made here in the next day or so.90
- Application for the visa was made at the Soviet Embassy in Washington on August 1.↩