Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume V

740I.00119 Control (Rumania)/4–2145: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan)

Washington, April 21, 1945—6 p.m.

926. Bucharest’s 264 April 12 to Department repeated to you as 74. The Vice Chairman of the ACC in Rumania informed General Schuyler on April 13 that the ACC considered premature the reopening of commercial communications service between Rumania and other countries, and that he could not understand why such an important matter was brought up by Berry before the Rumanian Government without the sanction of the ACC.

Please communicate with the Soviet Government⁶⁵ drawing its attention to your communication of March 21 (reEmbtel 839, March 21^65a) and to the Soviet Government’s failure to reply, from which it was inferred that there was no objection to the contemplated opening of communications with Rumania, and stating that a public announcement was accordingly made on March 30. You may add that the Soviet Government apparently omitted to send to the ACC in Rumania instructions in accordance with the notice received, and request that such instructions be sent now. General Schuyler has already informed General Susaikov that this Government’s action was taken on the basis of your note of March 21 to the Soviet Government.

You may say also that we fail to understand General Susaikov’s statement that it is “premature” to open communications between Rumania and the United States. Rumania has been in postal communication with many other countries, both Allied and neutral, for several months, and has been in telegraphic communication with a number of these. Shipments of mail from Rumania had already been received in the United States before March 30, and private radio messages through Stockholm and other points were being accepted in Bucharest.

For your own information, our public announcement on March 30 stated that postal communications were open to Rumania but that for the present telecommunications would not be permitted. It was worded in that way because we were not sure whether telegraphic messages would be accepted at the Rumanian end. Telecommunications service with Rumania has since been reestablished without formal announcement because word was received that messages were being accepted there. No reference need be made to this in your communication to the Soviet Government, as our position will be clearer if you state merely that communications were declared open on March 30 in accordance with the advance notice given to the Soviet Government on March 21. This telegram repeated to Bucharest as Department’s No. 195 of [April 21].

Stettinius

65. Telegram 1369, April 26, midnight, reported that in accordance with Department’s instructions, Chargé Kennan had written to Vyshinsky on April 26, reviewing in detail the American intention to resume Rumanian telegraphic and postal communications and requesting that Soviet authorities send the necessary instructions to the Allied Control Commission for Rumania (740.00119 Control (Rumania)/1–2645).
66. See footnote 59, p. 532.