861.24/1741: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
407. For the Ambassador from the President’s Soviet Protocol Committee. The following message is a result of conferences with Messrs. Hopkins, Stettinius and Crowley.49 Reference is made to your no. 131 to War of January 650 and to similar messages to other agencies in Washington.
After careful consideration it has been decided that it is inadvisable to subject U. S. S. R. requirements to screening in Moscow or to reject Soviet requests because of failure to provide operational or other justification to your mission. Our experience indicates that existing [Page 1056] limitations on ocean tonnage forces the Soviets to give continuous preference to badly needed high priority items and operates to limit Soviet requests to their approximate needs, thereby achieving your objective which is to prevent serious overstocking in the U. S. S. R.
Subject to reasonable allowances for the changing needs of war, it is agreed that overstocking in the U. S. S. R. of material produced in the United States is highly undesirable. Whenever you find excess stocks prompt action will be taken here to limit shipments of such items.
It is generally agreed here that any radical change in present procedure might cause the Russians to withdraw a large part of the Soviet Purchasing Commission which would not be understood by the public here or elsewhere.
Moreover, offerings to U. S. S. R. must be based on complete information on overall requirements of United States and other United Nations, as well as on available resources, and rapidly changing shipping capabilities. Such information cannot be assembled and transmitted promptly and fully to Moscow to permit final decision there on offerings to U. S. S. R.
We shall keep you informed on requests made by the U. S. S. R. for items which are in short supply and of our progress in negotiating the Fourth Protocol in order that we may have the benefit of your advice and comments. [President’s Soviet Protocol Committee.]