Office of the Historian

711.61/775: Telegram

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

Washington, December 21, 1940—2 p.m.

896. Your 1579, November 19, 9 p.m., and 1645, November 28 [29], 7 p.m.

  • Section 1. The Soviet Ambassador stated to Mr. Welles on December 16 that he had brought to the attention of his Government “certain secondary matters” relating to the work of the Embassy and had been informed as follows:
    a.
    The Soviet Government had been leaning over backwards in its endeavors to make sure that persons in Soviet-occupied Poland who have any claim to American citizenship be permitted to proceed to the Embassy to verify their citizenship and to obtain passports. A number of persons who did not possess valid documents had been permitted to appear. The majority of those persons alleged to be American citizens by the Embassy had proved after careful examination by the Soviet authorities to be former Polish citizens and consequently Soviet citizens.
    b.
    Of the six persons in jail whom the Embassy had considered to be American citizens, only two had proved to be such. One of these had been permitted to depart from the Soviet Union and the other could leave upon receipt of travel funds.
    c.
    Considerable time must necessarily elapse before a decision could be reached with regard to the six Soviet wives who wished to depart since an elaborate procedure of renouncing Soviet citizenship was involved.
    d.
    Orders had been issued which would permit American citizens proceeding from Soviet occupied Poland to remain in Moscow 5 days in order to obtain passports.
    e.
    Two apartments would be furnished the Embassy in December and five more in January.
    f.
    The sinking of a gasoline container in the Embassy court was contrary to Soviet fire regulations and would not be permitted. No limitation had been placed upon the amount of gasoline which the Embassy might use and the Soviet Government had no intention to [Page 435] limit the Embassy’s supply. The new gasoline regulations did not apply to the Embassy.
    g.
    The Customs difficulties regarding the food shipment had been due to misunderstandings over the contents of shipment.
    h.
    The four former employees of the Kaunas Legation would not be permitted to depart since they were now Soviet citizens subject to Soviet law.
  • Section 2. The Ambassador added that his Government had instructed him to state that it objected to endeavors to oppose Soviet representations of real importance with “such minor complaints”.
Hull