Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, General, The Soviet Union, Volume I

740.0011 European War 1939/7611: Telegram

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

Moscow, January 14, 1941—7 p.m.
[Received January 14—5:35 p.m.]

74. My 46, January 10, 6 p.m.²² In the course of a conversation this afternoon with the Rumanian Minister²³ he told me that the German Ambassador²⁴ had informed him a day or two ago that he had received word from the German Foreign Office that while substantial German troop movements into Rumania had been taking place and would continue, they were being made without any intention of offensive action in the Balkans and solely in anticipation of a possible British move in that area.

The Minister also stated that the German Ambassador had told him that at the time of Molotov’s visit to Berlin²⁵ he had been unwilling to discuss the subject of the Straits with the German Government merely indicating that the Soviet Government considered the Straits to be within its sphere of influence.

Steinhardt

22. Not printed.
23. Grigore Gafencu.
24. Friedrich Werner, Count von der Schulenburg.
25. Concerning Molotov’s visit to Berlin November 12–14, 1940, see Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. i, pp. 573–582.