740.0011 European War 1939/14001: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 16—3:30 a.m.]
1508. For the President, the Secretary, and the Under Secretary. My 1507, August 15, 7 p.m. When we were received by Stalin, Cripps and I handed to him our respective copies of the joint message. After he had read the message in translation Stalin immediately requested Cripps and me to transmit on behalf of the people of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Government his “great thanks for the readiness of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill to render help to the Soviet Union in its war of freedom against Hitlerism”, and stated that he was ready to facilitate a meeting of American, British and Soviet representatives as suggested in the message.
He thereupon dictated the following message to the President and Prime Minister, copies of which he handed to us and which will constitute the text of a communiqué to be issued by the Soviet Government as nearly simultaneously with the Washington and London press releases as possible. The following is a translation of Stalin’s reply: (text of reply follows as Embassy’s 1509, August 15, 9 p.m.70).
Stalin then expressed certain views regarding the present military position and Soviet requirements of war material. These views will immediately follow this message in two separate telegrams.71