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

701.6111/1039

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Henderson)

[Washington,] July 14, 1941.

In pursuance of the request contained in the Acting Secretary’s memorandum of July 14,⁷⁴ I telephoned the Soviet Ambassador today. I informed him that the two Soviet military attachés could return at once to Washington and would be reinstated in good standing as Soviet military attachés. I also told him that regulations restricted for travel of Soviet diplomatic and officials and employees in the United States had also been lifted.

I told the Ambassador that it was hoped, in view of these measures, that the Soviet Government would be inclined to cooperate in permitting our military attachés in Moscow to go to the front.

The Ambassador thanked me. He said that Mr. Welles had already informed him on July 13⁷⁵ that the two attachés could return and that the restrictions on travel regulations were being lifted.

L[oy] W. H[enderson]

74. Not printed.
75. No memorandum of July 13, 1941, by the Acting Secretary has been found in Department files; but see the account of this conversation sent to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union in telegram No. 899, July 15, p. 900. For the indication that the advisability of permitting the two Soviet Assistant Military Attachés to remain in the United States was under consideration, see telegram No. 851, June 28, to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union, p. 888. Regarding the removal of travel restrictions in the United States from Soviet officials and employees, see the note of July 23 to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union, p. 902.