861.24/5–2845: Telegram
The Chief of the United States Military Mission in the Soviet Union (Deane) to the War Department 59
M 24482. To Protocol Committee (York) from Spalding: At a meeting with Mr. Molotov and Mr. Mikoyan 28 May, a lend lease program for the period 1 July to 31 December 1945 was submitted to Ambassador Harriman. All of the program was stated to be directly related to the support of projects visualized under annex III, and to be in addition to the annex III, Arctic, Airways, fishing program, and to certain Fourth Protocol equipment undelivered by July 1945.
All the supplies were to be shipped in the existing Pacific Fleet via the Pacific, unless interrupted, when the Fleet would be diverted to Soviet northern ports. One exception was made in the case of 10,000 short tons of petroleum products per month from Abadan which were to be shipped via Iran.
The Ambassador requests that steps be taken to leave, for the time being, sufficient tank cars in Iran to provide for this movement. This should not affect current plans for PGC as shipments could be handled by Iranian railroad without use of American personnel.
The total tonnage of the program: 800,000 short tons, of which 400,000 short tons would be tanker products.
A study of the program will be made here and recommendations [Page 1008] submitted as soon as possible. These will include: food products, locomotives and rolling stock, the subject of recent cables.
General Rudenko is submitting the list in Washington.60 [Spalding.]
- For suggestion of the conference reported in this telegram, see meeting between Harry L. Hopkins and Marshal Stalin on May 27, Foreign Relations, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, vol. i, p. 35.↩
- Regarding the list submitted by the Soviet Embassy on May 30, see footnote 54, p. 1003.↩