The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Harriman ) to the Chairman of the President’s Soviet Protocol Committee ( Hopkins )41

Personal to Hopkins. Referring to my immediately preceding cable42 it is my belief that an attempt to negotiate a supplement to the third protocol will be misunderstood by the Soviets and among other things will be interpreted to indicate a doubt in our minds as to their intentions to live up to the commitment taken in Teheran regarding action against our enemies. As you know satisfactory progress is being made in discussions about operations and nothing should be done to jeopardize these proceedings. If events develop as I am sure they will anything that we ship before June 30, 1944 will be amply justified under Lend-Lease terms. I urge that you support my judgement in this matter. I fully agree however to tough realistic terms being incorporated into the Fourth Protocol including Third Protocol items undelivered before June 30 along the lines that you have suggested and with the additions that you have seen in my cable. I think the Fourth Protocol should be negotiated on the assumption that we will get full cooperation after the defeat of Germany but before it is finally signed I ask that I have an opportunity to give recommendations based on the progress at that time of the negotiations now being carried on here. I finally suggest that we should have a clause in the Fourth Protocol that any commitments should be subject to review by us on cessation of hostilities with any of our common enemies.

[
Harriman
]
  1. Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.
  2. Supra.