740.0011 European War 1939/15040: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 13—2:15 p.m.]
1669. For the President, the Secretary and Under Secretary. In the course of a lengthy conversation with General McFarlane last night he told me in the strictest confidence that the Soviet military authorities continue to withhold from him any information of real value concerning the number or disposition of their forces, their reserves, their losses in men and matériel, or the matériel still available to them. He added that he did not have the “foggiest idea” of the present military situation except that Leningrad appeared to be completely surrounded with the resultant loss to the Soviet Union of the important factories in that area and that the position along the Dnepr River and to the east of the river was serious as the Germans were now apparently across the river in considerable force. General McFarlane also said he believes that Budenny’s65 armies have by now sustained such severe losses in matériel that he is not overly optimistic of the resistance they can offer. He agreed with me however that Soviet morale continues to be excellent.
Cripps told me this noon that in his last talk with Stalin he had touched on the dangers of a separate peace between the Soviet Union [Page 188] and Germany to which Stalin replied he need have no concern on this score as the Soviet Union “keeps its engagements” and would fight from east of the Volga River if necessary.
- Marshal Semen Mikhailovich Budenny, Assistant People’s Commissar for Defense of the Soviet Union; Commander of the Soviet armies on the Kiev (Ukrainian) front after the outbreak of war.↩