Office of the Historian

711.61/5–2748

Memorandum “by the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Hickerson) to the Under Secretary of State (Lovett)

[Washington,] May 27, 1948.

I. Summary of Acts From United States Side Evidencing Desire for Cooperation With Soviet Union.

A. War Aid

1.
Military and civilian supplies to a value of over $11 billion were supplied the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease,
2.
Military and technological information was furnished through U.S. military mission in Moscow.
3.
Substantial medical supplies and civilian goods were sent to Soviet Union by American agencies such as Red Cross and Russian War Relief.

B. Post-war Aid

1.
UNRRA supplies to the value of $250 million were sent to Byelorussia and the Ukraine. Seventy-two percent of the cost of the UNRRA program was borne by the United States.
2.
The U.S. was prepared to discuss extension of large credit to Soviet Government to assist in post-war reconstruction.

C. Decisions Made at Meetings of Heads of States

1.
At Yalta:
a.
U.S. agreed to cession of Kurile Islands and Southern Sakhalin to USSR.
b.
U.S. agreed to recognize paramount Soviet interests in Dairen,. Port Arthur, and the Manchurian railways.
d.
U.S. agreed to fixing of Curzon Line as western border of Soviet Union, thereby incorporating in Soviet Union sizable area of pre-war Polish territory.
e.
U.S. agreed to participation of Byelorussia and Ukraine in UN, thereby giving Soviet Union three votes.
f.
Agreement was reached with Soviet Government for exchange of nationals liberated by Soviet and American armed forces.
2.
At Potsdam:
a.
U.S. agreed to the Soviet annexation of northern portion of East Prussia.
b.
U.S. agreed to provisional Polish administration of Eastern Germany.
c.
U.S. agreed that post-war conditions required modification of Montreux Convention.
d.
Recognition was given to Soviet claims for preferential reparations from Western Germany.

D. Peace Treaties

1.
Concessions were made to Soviet claims for reparations from Italy.
2.
Compromises were made with Soviet and Yugoslav viewpoints on boundaries and administration of Venezia Giulia and Trieste.
3.
Soviet Union was offered twenty-five year mutual guaranty pact against Japanese and German aggression. Period of proposed agreement was later extended to forty years.
4.
Secretary Byrnes publicly recognized special security interests, of USSR in Central and Eastern Europe.

E. United Nations

1.
U.S. has displayed considerable patience with Soviet use of veto in Security Council.
2.
Generous U.S. offer on atomic energy is unprecedented in world history.

F. International Organizations

U.S. has advocated Soviet participation in all specialized international organizations and has made direct efforts to obtain Soviet participation.

G. Cultural

U.S. has constantly sought to arrange for the exchange of publications, scientists, artists, students, et cetera, between U.S. and Soviet Union.

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H. Civil Aviation

U.S. has persistently sought to negotiate agreement with Soviet Union for reciprocal civil air traffic between the two countries.

II. Soviet Response to U.S. Efforts Toward Cooperation

A. War Aid

1.
Grudging Soviet recognition of extent and value of Lend-Lease aid and long delay in agreeing to begin negotiations for a settlement.
2.
Complete lack of reciprocity in exchange of military and technological information.
3.
Little publicity given in Soviet Union to non-governmental aid received from U.S.

B. Post-war Aid

1.
Refusal of Soviet Government to discuss settlement of outstanding economic questions between the two countries in connection with credit negotiations. Constant reiteration by Soviet propaganda of theme that U.S. was threatened by imminent economic crisis which would oblige it to grant large credits to Russian market.

C. Political and Territorial Questions

1.
Failure of Soviet Government to observe Yalta commitments for free elections in Poland, Rumania and Bulgaria.
2.
Encouragement by Soviet Union of obstructionism and truculence in Governments of Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.
3.
Non-cooperation by Soviet Union in implementing occupation policies in Germany, Austria, and Korea.
4.
Widespread Soviet removals from Eastern Europe, Manchuria, and Korea, thereby seriously interfering with resumption of industrial production.
5.
Obstructionist Soviet tactics in negotiations for Italian and Balkan peace treaties in meetings of both Deputies and Foreign Ministers. Negotiations on these treaties extended from September 1945 to end of 1946. Soviet Union has likewise delayed consideration of proposed guaranty pact against German and Japanese aggression.
6.
Soviet Union has refused to agree to organization of Germany as an economic unit, thereby preventing a more rapid return to a self-sustaining German economy, and the recovery of Europe.
7.
The Soviets have rejected all overtures directed toward an agreement on international civil aviation.
8.
Freedom of navigation on the Danube has not been restored because of Soviet opposition.
9.
Soviet Union has declined to participate in most specialized international organizations. In those which it has joined its attitude has been distinguished by either obstructionism or disinterest.
10.
Soviets refused to permit access by American repatriation teams to American citizens liberated by Soviet armed forces. For their part, the Soviets have insisted strenuously that all Soviet citizens, including persons coming from areas incorporated into Soviet Union since outbreak of war, be forcibly turned over to Soviet repatriation authorities regardless of their individual desires.

D. United Nations

1.
Soviets have used United Nations as an instrument for political maneuvering and propaganda purposes and have shown little interest in true aims of Organization.
2.
Soviet attitude has prevented any progress in work of Military Staff Committee.
3.
As a result of Soviet tactics, UN has made little progress for a year in solving problem of control of atomic energy. While preventing agreement on this, Soviets have exploited propaganda possibilities of their general disarmament proposals.
4.
On ten occasions Soviets have utilized veto in Security Council to prevent UN action. These occurred four times regarding Spain, three times concerning admission of new members to UN, and once each regarding the Syrian and Lebanon case, the proposal for a commission of investigation in Greece and the British charges against Albania in the matter of the Corfu Channel.

E. Propaganda

Since the war ended Soviet propaganda, both for internal consumption and as distributed through controlled outlets around the world, has been violently and abusively anti-American. U.S. is pictured as imperialistic, reactionary, fascist, and striving for world domination. U.S. Government is alleged to be in hands of small group aiming at imposing its will on world by force and as being entirely out of step with desires and aspirations of American people.

F. Cultural

U.S. efforts for cultural exchanges have not been reciprocated. On the contrary, Soviet Government has made strenuous efforts to further isolate Soviet people from cultural contact with outside world except such as occurs under auspices of Soviet Government agencies.