361.1121/7–2547
The American Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Smith) to the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs (Vyshinsky)1
My Dear Mr. Vyshinsky: In reply to your letter of August 26th, I must draw your attention to the fact that my letter of August 22nd [Page 741] referred only to the cases of Vera Danchakoff, Nicholas Berezny, Stefan Tsimbalisti and Theodore Lubocky and his son John, and the analogous case of Francisco Fernandez. You will recall that the first four of these cases were treated separately in one of the two communications I delivered personally to you on August 5th. Attached to this communication was a summary of the facts of these four cases.
In all these cases the individuals concerned not only are properly documented by the American Embassy as bona fide American citizens but also are documented by the competent Soviet authorities as persons not having Soviet citizenship. At the time of our conversation these persons had been endeavoring without success for periods varying from nine to fifteen weeks to obtain Soviet exit visas.
Since the Soviet Government has already acknowledged that these individuals are not claimed by the Soviet authorities as Soviet citizens, and since their status as American citizens is fully established, no investigations of these cases should be necessary, the question being simply one of setting in motion the mechanism necessary to provide these American citizens with Soviet exit visas. It is for that reason that I reiterated my previous request for your personal intervention in order that immediate instructions may be given to accord these persons authorization to depart from the Soviet Union on their American passports.
With regard to the other thirty-nine cases specifically mentioned in our conversation and accompanying letter of August 5th, I realize that the Soviet authorities may find some further investigation desirable. However, in view of the fact that these cases have been pending for a considerable time, some indeed for almost a year and a half, and have already been the subject of repeated communications, I am sure you will not consider me impatient in requesting the earliest possible decision in each individual case.
I am, my dear Mr. Vyshinski,
Sincerely yours,
- Sent to the Department by the Ambassador as an enclosure in despatch 1581 from Moscow on August 28.↩