Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V

861.24/1–449

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (Thorp)

confidential

[Washington,] January 4, 1949.

Participants:	The Soviet Ambassador2
	Mr. Zinchuk,3 Interpreter for the Ambassador
	Mr. Zakharov,4 Acting Chairman, the Government
	Purchasing Commission of the Soviet Union in the U.S.A.
	E—Mr. Thorp
	EUR: EE—Mr. Truesdell5

At my request the Soviet Ambassador called today to discuss the return of the 3 icebreakers and 28 frigates of the U.S. Navy transferred to the Soviet Government under the Lend-Lease Act. I informed the Ambassador that I did not propose to transact any formal business at this meeting but did wish to proceed with the details of the return of the icebreakers and frigates agreed to in the Ambassador’s note of December 9.⁶ I said that the U.S. would accept any or all of these vessels at either Norfolk on the East Coast or San Francisco on the West Coast and that the matters of choice of ports and exact dates of return could be arranged in accordance with Soviet desires. I said that the U.S. was agreeable to the Soviet proposal to refer detailed arrangements to a group of American and Soviet experts and that the U.S. group, consisting, among others, of Messrs Matlock⁷ and Truesdell of the Department of State and two officers from the Navy Department, had already been designated and was ready to commence discussions immediately. The Ambassador responded by expressing agreement to the inclusion of civilians as well as Naval officers in the working groups; however, he said that he would make no comment at this time but would report the matter to Moscow.

The Ambassador stated that the question of the other vessels was also related to the matter of the return of the icebreakers and frigates. I replied that since my return to the Department I had not had an opportunity to study the recent Soviet note in detail but in view of the importance which we attributed to the early return of the icebreakers and frigates, it appeared desirable to proceed with this matter immediately. I said that I would be ready very shortly to discuss other lend-lease matters and suggested that the Ambassador join with me in a joint New Year’s resolution to settle lend-lease within the year. The Ambassador replied that this should not be difficult in view of the favorable terms offered in his note of December 9.

W. L. Thorp

2. Alexander Semënovich Panyushkin.
3. Alexander Ivanovich Zinchuk, Attaché of Embassy of the Soviet Union in the United States.
4. Alexey Vasilyevich Zakharov.
5. George E. Truesdell was Country Specialist in the Division of Eastern European Affairs.
6. Note No. 208, Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iv, p. 1020.
7. Clifford C. Matlock was Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of European Affairs.