Office of the Historian

871.00/3–2245: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)

Washington, March 24, 1945—10 p.m.

703. Reurtel 864.35 At his press conference on March 15 the Secretary told correspondents off the record that the Department had been informed by its representatives there of recent developments in Rumania and of the circumstances under which the present government was formed. He said that this Government thought some aspects of the political situation required consultation among the three Allies as contemplated by the Crimea agreement, and that we were undertaking discussions with the Soviet and British Governments with this in view. Later the same day the following statement was given out for attribution to a spokesman of the Department:

“The American representatives in Rumania have of course kept the Department informed of recent developments in that country. We think that some aspects of the political situation require consultation among the three principal Allies, and we are discussing the situation with the British and Soviet Governments.”

This public statement was contained in Department’s Radio Bulletin No. 64 of March 15.

Grew
  1. Dated March 22, not printed; the Ambassador asked that press releases and non-attributable information from the Department on the situation in Rumania be repeated to the Embassy in Moscow for guidance (871.00/3–2245).↩