740.00119 E.W./10–2844: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:10 p.m.]
4130. [To Caserta:] ReEmbs October 21, 5 p.m. which was repeated as 4029 to Department. Having heard nothing further from Vyshinski on General Hall’s mission, I wrote to him once more on October 25, stating that I was perturbed over the uncertainty concerning the status of this group, stressing the importance of its work and warning him that I could not delay longer in giving my Government a full report of the results of the exchanges we had had with the Soviet Government on this matter. I said that my Government would expect me to explain why the mission had not been able to proceed with its work and that in view of the assurances we had received from him on September 30 I should be at a loss to know how to do this.
[Page 480]Late last night upon completion of the armistice discussions with the Bulgarians I took occasion to mention this matter to Molotov. He said that these matters would all be straightened out as soon as an Allied Control Commission was established in Bulgaria. I pointed out that this had no connection with the Control Commission, that General Hall’s group had been there nearly a month already and that it was most desirable that action be taken at once to enable them to complete their tasks.
At 8 o’clock this morning I received a note from Vyshinski saying that in connection with my letter of October 25 a check had been made on the instructions issued to the Soviet military authorities in Bulgaria as well as of the reports of the latter. It had thereby been determined that the Soviet Command in Sofia had indeed received instructions as stated in his letter of September 29 and the instructions had been reconfirmed in the middle of October. General Hall had applied only twice to the Soviet Command for specific assistance and each time his request had been granted. Thus according to the information at the disposal of the Foreign Office the successful completion of the work of General Hall’s mission was not hampered by any impediments the removal of which would depend on the Soviet Command.
I also took occasion in the course of the meeting with the Bulgarian delegation yesterday evening to mention this matter to the Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stainov, who is Chairman of the Bulgarian delegation. He stated that General Hall’s mission had never applied to him for assistance. He gave me most fulsome and enthusiastic assurances of collaboration in the arrest and trial of any Bulgarians we might name as suspected of ill treatment of our prisoners of war. He repeatedly described that ill treatment as a shame on Bulgaria’s honor and insisted that his Government would not be satisfied until they had set things to rights.
In view of the above I am hopeful that if General Hall will now press his wishes energetically both with the Soviet Command and with the Bulgarian Government he will receive better cooperation.
Sent to AmPolAd, Caserta as No. 4; repeated to Department as 4130.