740.0011 European War 1939/17290: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 10—4:25 p.m.]
5986. This is just to remind you of Eden’s mission55 and to suggest that you might want to take advantage of it. It is possible for me to communicate with him from here.
When Eden left it was not his intention nor the Prime Minister’s to press for a declaration of war against Japan. I understand that at some point in the earlier conversations it was suggested that two British divisions might be made available on southern section of the Eastern Front. The British are not in a position to go through with this suggestion. This and a general inability to make a direct contribution on the Russian front seemed to me in part responsible for their not wanting to over press for additional military assistance at this time. On the other hand the British have complied with Stalin’s insistence on a declaration of war against Finland, Hungary and Rumania and the military situation on the Russian front, particularly in the south, is much improved. I only give you the above as background in following up the suggestion in the first sentence of this message. The warning in the first paragraph of my message No. 5876, December 4, midnight56 still holds.