861.01B11/1–1345
The Embassy of the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire24
As the Soviet Government indicated in its aide-mémoires of May 6 and November 24, 1944,25 handed to the Secretary of State, and also more than once orally through the Soviet Ambassador in Washington, the former inspector of the Soviet Government Purchasing Commission on temporary official mission in the U.S.A., military engineer of the third rank V. A. Kravchenko, was on active military service in the Red Army. Having deserted in April 1944, Kravchenko violated his oath, the military laws of the U.S.S.R. and his military duty. Being on duty in the Red Army, Kravchenko was registered in the Kiev Military District in the city of Moscow.
In June 1943 at the time of the request made by the Consular Section of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs for a visa for Kravchenko, the Embassy of the U.S.A. at Moscow was provided with replies on the standard questionnaire of the Embassy. To the question about the position occupied, the reply was given that Kravchenko was an engineer in the Chief Administration for Metal Manufacture in the People’s Commissariat of Local Industry from 1943. To the question about the place of work of Kravchenko during the last two years preceding the position occupied by him, the reply was given that he was a student of the Moscow Military Engineering School.
Upon completion of the Military Engineering School, Kravchenko served in the Red Army. Being in service in the Red Army, he was assigned to duty in the capacity of military engineer in the People’s Commissariat of Local Industry, and later, being as before in the [Page 1136] service of the Red Army, he proceeded, as did other military employees, on temporary assignment to the U.S.A. for the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade.
The Soviet Government communicates the foregoing information in view of the wish, expressed by the Secretary of State in conversation with the Soviet Ambassador on January 4 of this year, to receive confirmation of the fact that V. A. Kravchenko at the time of desertion was in actual fact on active service in the Red Army.
The Soviet Government again expresses the hope that its request for the turning over to Soviet authority of Kravchenko will be satisfied by the Government of the U.S.A. in the near future.
- The Secretary of State sent a copy of this translation to the Attorney General with a letter of January 18, 1945, in which he wrote: “You will note that the information contained in the aide-mémoire provides evidence that Kravchenko was a military person.” (861.01B11/1–1345)↩
- Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. iv, pp. 1230 and 1235, respectively.↩