740.00119 Control (Bulgaria)/6–1546: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Smith ) to the Acting Secretary of State 16
priority
[Received June 16—1:52 a.m.]
1889. Timing of Soviet-Yugoslav military and other conversations, which had far reaching implications, including promise to restore Yugoslav war industry, would seem to climax Soviet policy of clearing decks and strengthening cement of eastern block in preparation for forthcoming CFM conference. This agreement caps a recent series of visits of representatives of most USSR western neighbors which followed each other with unusual speed and dispatch.
It is not possible to confirm from here Barnes’ impression (Sofia’s June 12 to Department, repeated Moscow as 180)17 that Soviet Union has been taking military dispositions in Balkans designed to enable it to confront western powers with threat of immediate military action in that area if necessary to achieve any objectives in CFM meeting and we do not believe Soviet Union has any actual intention at this time of availing itself of extreme measures although the covert threat of such action may again appear at Paris. Yet Soviet Union would seem to be engaged at least in old-fashioned eastern European maneuver of show of force. That Russia is very sensitive to what it considers to be western underestimation of its strength was confirmed only two evenings ago by responsible Foreign Office official who commenting on present international situation insisted that trouble lay in Anglo-American blindness to fact that Kremlin represented strength, not weakness, and to Anglo-American persistence in viewing Russia through 1918 eyes.
Department please repeat to Paris for Secretary as Moscow’s 182 and to Sofia as 34.