125.0061/11–2146: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Smith) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 21—12:53 p.m.]
4202. In a conversation on various subjects I spoke to Dekanozov on 18 November regarding our requests for establishment of a Consulate at Leningrad and quoted to him statement made by Zhdanov before Supreme Soviet of USSR in 1938 to general effect that it was inconceivable that a great state like Soviet Union should not have as many Consulates in foreign countries as Soviet FonOff allowed in Soviet Union. I informed him US Govt took same point of view regarding establishment of US Consulates in Soviet Union. His reply that Soviet Govt had no inclination whatever to limit number of Consulates of US in USSR except as this limit was enforced by lack of facilities and housing. I mentioned fact that Soviet Union had three consular establishments in US,70 whereas, we had only the small one at Vladivostok.
I subsequently had phone call from his secretary and interpreter asking for exact wording of quotation from Zhdanov’s speech which I supplied. I do not expect anything definite on the matter until Molotov returns. However, I wish to be absolutely certain that if this matter comes to a definite issue Dept is prepared to ask Soviet Union to close one or more of its own establishments in US in case we are refused permission to establish a Consulate at Leningrad.71
- These were located at New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.↩
- The Department replied in its telegram 2061, December 2, 1946, 7 p.m., to Moscow, that it was prepared to close a Soviet Consulate in the United States if there was persistent refusal to grant permission to establish an additional American Consulate in the Soviet Union (125.0061/11–2146).↩