740.0011 Pacific War/3845: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 4—4:55 p.m.]
1151. Moscow papers for April 2 publish the following Tass despatch from Ulan-Bator.
“According to information received here from informed circles, at the end of last year the local authorities in Sinkiang began the forcible transfer of a great part of the Kazakh population of Altai Province to the southern districts of Sinkiang. Many Kazakh families did not wish to move, and, fleeing from persecution by Sinkiang military authorities, took refuge in the Mongolian People’s Republic where they were received by the Mongolian authorities as refugees.
“Chinese troops from the northeastern parts of Sinkiang, pursuing the Kazakhs, invaded the Mongolian People’s Republic and from planes shot up these refugees as well as inhabited places of the Mongolian People’s Republic. The Government of the latter reacted to this infringement of their frontiers and offered resistance to the invading Sinkiang troops.
“Government circles of the Mongolian People’s Republic are convinced that if similar violations of the frontiers by Sinkiang troops take place in the future, the Soviet Government, on the basis of the existing mutual aid agreement between the U. S. S. R. and the Mongolian People’s Republic of March 12, 1936,17 will be obliged to render aid and support to the Mongolian People’s Republic with a view to defending the security of the territory of this republic.”
Sent to Department, repeated to Chungking.
- Signed at Ulan Bator (Urga), British and Foreign State Papers, vol. cxl, p. 666.↩