700.00116 M. E./24: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 29—5:40 p.m.]
1157. I have just seen Potemkin who has acquiesced in the principle that the movements of American citizens within the Soviet Union are not subject to restriction and who has accordingly assured me that instructions will be issued immediately that all American citizens within the Soviet Union be permitted to proceed to Moscow at once for the purpose of validating their passports.
Insofar as concerns the departure from the Soviet Union of Rodman, Rasmussen, Miller, Hanson, and Owens, Potemkin expressed great concern over the serious effect which their withdrawal would have on the large investment of the Soviet Government in the respective plants the construction of which they have been supervising and particularly emphasized the urgent desire of the Soviet Government to retain the services of Rasmussen whose work appears to be the most vital until the period specified under his contract shall have expired. I am by no means convinced that further difficulties will not be placed in the path of the departure of these engineers but I doubt that the Soviet Government will make an issue of their departure. I received the impression as a result of my talk with Potemkin that he is fully alive to the danger to Soviet-American relations inherent in any serious attempt to impede the departure of American citizens from the Soviet Union.