Office of the Historian

811.79661/10–2245: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)

Washington, October 22, 1945—1 p.m.

2200. Following information has been obtained from the War Dept. in response to questions raised in your 3461 October 5, 8 p.m.74 regarding present use by Soviet planes of Alsib75 route:

Use of route for non-military purposes such as transportation of civilians, freight, couriers and mail terminated with end of lend-lease. Bulk of Soviet Mission in Fairbanks is scheduled to leave by October [Page 900] 15. Prior to end of lend-lease Soviet planes entered Alaska on previously submitted flight schedule without prior notification of individual flights. Soviet radio station in Siberia simply informed Fairbanks when planes took off for Alaska.

Soviet Purchasing Commission76 has asked for permission for its employees to continue to proceed to U. S. via Alaska. Dept proposes to attempt to extract some concessions for American travelers before granting this request and would be grateful for your views.

Byrnes
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Alaska-Siberia.↩
  3. The Government Purchasing Commission of the Soviet Union in the U. S. A. had been established on February 27, 1942. Lt, Gen. Leonid Georgiyevich Rudenko was its Chairman at this time. See Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. iii, p. 696.↩