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

711.61/823

Memorandum by the Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Henderson) to the Under Secretary of State (Welles)⁹²

[Washington,] July 7, 1941.

Mr. Welles: You will note from the attached telegram⁹³ that the Soviet Government is thus far not showing itself to be over-cooperative in disposing of a number of relatively minor outstanding problems existing between the two Governments. The suggestion of Mr. Lozovski that we release the three Bookniga clerks is one which would be difficult for us to accept. These three clerks are all American citizens. There is no ground for Soviet representations on their behalf. They have not been employees for some time of any Soviet institution. It will be recalled that during the last five years, four Soviet employees of the American Embassy at Moscow have been arrested one by one. The Soviet Government has refused to give us any information regarding their whereabouts or fate. We have not insisted on their release since we have felt that we had no right to interfere in the prosecution by the Soviet Government of its own citizens.

These three Bookniga clerks have already been found guilty and the charges against them, therefore, cannot be dropped. Furthermore, we cannot ask the courts to make any exchange affecting American citizens.

It is our feeling that we should make no concessions with regard to Soviet military attachés⁹⁴ or with regard to travel restrictions on the Soviet Embassy⁹⁵ until the Soviet Government shows a disposition to meet the reasonable requests of Mr. Steinhardt.

92. This memorandum was also initialed by James C. Dunn, Adviser on Political Relations.
93. Supra.
94. Two Soviet Assistant Military Attachés for Air, Col. Pavel Fedorovich Berezin and Maj. Konstantin I. Ovchinnikov, having become persona non grata to the United States, were asked to be withdrawn, but subsequently were allowed to remain. See pp. 621–629, passim.
95. After severe travel restrictions had been imposed by the Soviet Government on the American Embassy personnel in Moscow, reciprocal measures were taken against the Soviet Embassy and official personnel in the United States, which were removed after the outbreak of war between Germany and the Soviet Union. See pp. 881–902, passim.