761.93 Manchuria/158: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 5—2:06 p.m.]
231. Referring to my telegram No. 228, August 5 [4], 10 a.m. [p.m.], during my interview with Litvinov today he informed me that the Soviet Government “knew” that Japan did not desire a war with the Soviet Union and that the Soviet Government had no intention of receding from its position which it felt was right. He added that such controversies would continue as long as the Fascist nations existed unless combined action could be taken against them and that the only manner of dealing with those nations was to meet force or threat of force with the same weapons.
Soviet military circles confirm the above opinion that the Japanese will not go to war over this incident and reiterate the determination of the Soviet Government to take all necessary measures to force the withdrawal of the Japanese troops from Soviet territory. The same circles stated this morning that the struggle was still going on; that it was believed that on the Japanese side one Japanese division was involved and intimated that the Soviet forces consisted of border troops together with some detachments of one Bed Army division hut that the total number did not equal one whole division.