801.24/5–2549
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union (Panyushkin)1
Excellency: I have the honor to refer to this Government’s note of October 7, 1948,2 to your note No. 208 of December 9, 1948, to your informal conversation with Mr. Thorp on January 4 and to this [Page 697] Government’s note of January 11, 1949 concerning the return to the United States of three icebreakers, twenty-eight frigates and other vessels of the United States Navy “leased” to your Government under the Lend-Lease Act.
In the note of October 7, 1948 your Government was notified that on July 7, 1948 the President of the United States had determined that the emergency relative to the lend-lease program referred to in the Master Lend-Lease Agreements between the United States and various lend-lease countries had terminated.3 Also in this note your Government was advised that 217 vessels of the United States Navy, including the twenty-eight frigates and three icebreakers, are of use to the United States and their return was again demanded in accordance with the provisions of Article V of the Master Lend-Lease Agreement between our two Governments of June 11, 1942.
In your note of December 9, 1948 you expressed the agreement of your Government to the return of the three icebreakers and twenty-eight frigates and proposed that the procedures and dates for their return should be agreed upon by experts of both parties. With respect to other vessels of the United States Navy “leased” to your Government, your note stated that the Soviet Government would consider it expedient that American and Soviet experts discuss both the terms of sale to the Soviet Union of a certain number of these vessels, as well as the procedure and dates for the return to the United States of the balance of these vessels. In your conversation with Mr. Thorp of January 4, 1949 and in this Government’s note of January 11, 1949, you were advised that the Government of the United States was willing to take delivery of the icebreakers and frigates, any or all of them at one time, at either of two United States ports: Norfolk, for vessels returned via the Atlantic; and San Francisco, for vessels returned via the Pacific. You were also advised that, in accordance with the proposals of your Government, experts had been designated by the Government of the United States to meet with experts designated by the Soviet Government and to reach agreement as to the exact dates and detailed procedures for the return of these vessels. In the note of January 11, 1949 you were requested to inform this Government as soon as possible of the names of the experts designated by your Government and to indicate the first date on which these experts would be available for consultation with the United States experts.
Over four months have elapsed since forwarding to you this Government’s note of January 11, 1949 and no reply has been received. The Government of the United States continues to await the advice of the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as to when Soviet experts will be available to arrange the details of the [Page 698] prompt return of the naval craft designated in this Government’s note of October 7, 1948. The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics must be aware that, pending the return of these vessels to the United States, it continues in default of its obligations under Article V of the Lend-Lease Agreement of June 11, 1942. In these circumstances the Government of the United States must request immediate notification of the intentions of the Soviet Government in this respect.
Accept [etc.]
- This note was handed personally by Acting Secretary of State James E. Webb to Ambassador Panyushkin on May 25. In a memorandum of this meeting by the Acting Secretary, the Ambassador told him that he had informed the Soviet Government of his last conversation with Assistant Secretary Thorp but that he had not received any instructions. He stated in the subsequent discussion that the “Soviet Government had not yet received a reply to its note of December 9. I [Mr. Webb] pointed out that on January 11 we had accepted a proposal in regard to the ships which had been advanced by the Soviet Government, and stressed the importance we attached to the return of these vessels. The Ambassador again undertook to inform his Government.” (861.24/5–2549)↩
- Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iv, p. 1012.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iv, p. 997.↩