740.00119 PW/8–2745: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 27—10:42 a.m.]
3073. Supplementing my 3069, August 27. I asked General Deane when he saw Generals Antonov and Slavin43 Saturday night to point out that the text of General Order No. 1 transmitted with his letter of August 19 included the surrender of the Kurile Islands to the Soviet commander. Antonov appeared confused and said “You are now advising me of this”. Deane reiterated that he had before him the actual text submitted on August 10. Both Antonov and Slavin appeared so embarrassed and concerned that General Deane said “I suppose with all the translation you have had to make in the last few days you missed this”. Neither Antonov nor Slavin took exception to this remark.
General Deane and I believe therefore that the General Staff slipped up in information given the Foreign Office with regard to the inclusion of this provision.
- Lt. Gen. Nikolay Vasilyevich Slavin, Assistant to Gen. Antonov, Chief of the Soviet Army General Staff.↩