740.00119 Council/12–1445: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
2527. Secdel27 7. For the Secretary.
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II. Considerations Relating to Lend-Lease Shipping. USSR now has in its possession 36 Liberty ships, 3 Liberty tankers, 5 T–2 tankers, 48 dry cargo ships built some years before war, 1 pre-war tanker, and 3 tug boats, all furnished by WSA during war as Lend-Lease transfers. There are also number of Army and Navy vessels, including 3 icebreakers, 1 steam schooner, 15 river tugs, 9 Wye tankers, and 2 floating repair shops. In addition, there are numerous combat ships which have been transferred by Navy, concerning which Alusna, Moscow, doubtless has information.
Cargo vessels transferred by WSA cannot be sold to USSR except on basis of ship disposal bill, which has not yet been passed. Objective is to arrange for payment of charter hire on ships now in Soviet possession which are desired by USSR until ship disposal bill can be used as basis for sale. Problems involving disposal of merchant ships are very complex due to legal aspects of situation, and it is therefore opinion of Dept and WSA that all negotiations with respect to such ships should be conducted in Washington.
- The first portion of this telegram is printed in vol. ii, p. 1384.↩
- Series indicator for telegrams to Moscow concerned with matters before the Conference of Foreign Ministers.↩