361.1121/4–2347

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union ( Smith ) to the Secretary of State

secret
No. 1173

Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 562 of February 27, containing the draft of a note to be sent to Mr. Molotov on the subject of American citizens who had been arrested in Southern and Eastern Europe and deported to the Soviet Union for forced labor, and the Department’s telegram No. 421 of March 7 in reply.

Mr. Vyshinski asserted on March 15 at the Council of Foreign Ministers that there were no American displaced persons on Soviet territory or the Soviet occupied zone of Germany.1 This seemed to give an [Page 725] opportunity for the Embassy to present the cases of Americans forcibly detained in the Soviet Union in a different manner from that originally contemplated. A copy of the note which I sent to Mr. Molotov on April 18 on this subject is enclosed.2

In as much as I feel this matter must be strongly followed up I would appreciate receiving as soon as possible the Department’s opinion of the validity of the citizenship claims of the persons mentioned in the Embassy’s telegram No. 1322 of April 12,3 as well as the citizenship of other persons whose names have been sent the Embassy by the Department and received here too late to be included in that telegram.

Lacking an appropriate reply from Mr. Molotov, I intend to follow this up with another note not later than May 5.

Respectfully yours,

W. B. Smith
  1. Vyshinsky’s statement was circulated to the Council as document CFM(47) (M) 17, March 15, 1947, not printed. Documentation on the Fourth Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Moscow, March 10–April 24, 1947, is presented in volume ii .
  2. Not printed. The Ambassador pointed out in part in this long note that “the records of the Embassy show that many persons claiming American citizenship have been arrested by the Soviet authorities in Eastern and Southern Europe and sent to the Soviet Union. The Embassy has reported over one hundred such cases to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since November 1945.” He also called to the attention of the Foreign Minister the numerous cases of American citizens who were living in the Baltic States at the outbreak of war on September 1, 1939, who could not in consequence return to the United States, many of whom were known still to desire to come back, but who were being detained against their will. In conclusion the Ambassador declared that he trusted that “arrangements will be made to permit all persons having valid claim to American citizenship to be interviewed by American consular officers to ascertain fully their citizenship status and all those whose claims are substantiated as well as all those whose American citizenship has already been verified … will immediately be granted exit visas in order that they may depart from the Soviet Union and return to their native land.”
  3. Not printed; but see footnote 1 to telegram 421, p. 722.