The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to President Roosevelt 69
Personal for the President. In a speech last night at dinner at the British Embassy Stalin outlined the history of the three World Wars in which England and Russia had joined together against aggressor nations. He explained that in the first against Napoleon they had been successful but in World War I the aid of the United States had been necessary for final defeat of Germany.
In the present war he expressed the opinion that unless the United States had thrown into the war its full strength, industrial and military, it is very doubtful whether victory could have been won for the democracies. Continued friendship between the three countries was necessary to secure for the democracies a peaceful world in the future. He spoke with warm feeling of you and your continued health and success. After dinner I told him that I knew you would highly appreciate his expressions of personal friendship and value the high tribute he had paid to the part of the United States in the war.
You may wish to send him a brief message in the same sense as his statements were made with such sincerity and generous recognition of the United States contribution to the war.
- Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y. A paraphrase of this telegram is in the Department files under 741.6111/10–1344.↩