Office of the Historian

033.1161/8–2544

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union (Gromyko)

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and has the honor to inform him that Major General Philip B. Fleming, Administrator, Federal Works Agency, has for some time been working on a program of public works construction for the post-war period. The President feels that this planning has now reached the stage where it would be valuable to study similar programs being developed in Great Britain and the Soviet Union and to exchange views with officials engaged in this work in those countries.

Ambassador Harriman was in July instructed to take up with the proper Soviet officials the question of a visit to the Soviet Union by General Fleming. Ambassador Harriman reports that he has received a communication from the Commissariat for Foreign Affairs indicating that it might be difficult at this time to supply General Fleming with the type of information which he desires.

Nevertheless the President still feels that a visit by General Fleming to the Soviet Union would result in a useful exchange of information on similar, if not identical, problems of the post-war period. It would accordingly be greatly appreciated if you would bring this matter to [Page 988] the attention of your Government and request authorization for General Fleming to visit the Soviet Union as soon as practicable.99

Washington , August 29, 1944.
  1. In telegram 2074, August 29, 1944, Ambassador Harriman was advised that this request had been made (033.1161/8–1544). A note from Ambassador Gromyko on September 2, declared that he had taken up this matter with the Soviet authorities (033.1161/9–244). On September 6 the Department sent the information to both London and Moscow that the Soviet Embassy had stated that the Soviet Embassy in London had been authorized to issue a visa to General Fleming (033.1161/9–644). By telegram 3606, September 21, Ambassador Harriman reported that General Fleming had arrived in Moscow on the previous day (033.1161/9–2144).↩