Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270: Telegram
General Marshall to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Smith)21
687. I quote below two letters addressed by me to the Russian Ambassador in China Petrov. To date no acknowledgement of either has been received although in my US absence my staff made two additional written inquiries. The first letter was written in agreement with Mr. Byrnes as an effort to save the State Department the necessity of bringing up the question in the midst of other more pressing negotiation. I tried to make my inquiries purely business communications devoid of diplomatic implications except, of course, as to Soviet intentions regarding Japanese military prisoners in their hands. In effect I was not interested in this. It was only a question of how many of total of MacArthur’s ships should be prepared to stand by.
His fleet of Japanese ships, large, small, LSTs etc, are bound by allied agreement to be employed by him to evacuate Japanese, first from China, Manchuria, Korea and then from Indo China, Neth East Indies, Malayas, Burma, New Guinea, etc. Americans have had to process individuals preparatory to embarkation as Chinese had not the trained personnel available for the purpose of the Commanding General of US in China as to coordinate this with MacArthur’s requirements.
I appear in the matter as the individual to contact Soviets if that is necessary. Hence, the two letters quoted below. I doubt if you can help but it might be that you could dispel any idea of a deep diplomatic plot in my action and get them to treat it as it is: as purely business to utilize shipping without delays. As to Japanese military prisoners, they could merely remain silent as to that.
[Here follow texts of letters dated April 27 and March 9 printed on pages 892 and 890.]
- Sent through the War Department.↩