740.0011 European War 1939/18466: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 13—3:45 p.m.]
187. Your 141, January 12, 6 p.m. Eden tells me that the Turkish Treaty referred to in my 147, January 10, midnight was the Anglo-French-Turkish Treaty of October 1939 which came into effect January 8, 1940. I think the inference was that you trust the Turks sufficiently to enter into treaty with them but are you willing to trust us? I realize there are parts of Stalin’s conversations with Eden that I [Page 494] have not yet gotten but I have had every assurance that no commitments were made.
There is a rumor here that Molotov8 will come on here in 6 weeks or 2 months.
I read to Eden last night the message reported from Bern in the-Department’s 132, January 10, 9 p.m.9 This information had already reached him here through Bern from Washington. He said it was; German propaganda and that the British would develop a counter-propaganda.
I personally believe Eden’s trip was necessary because strained relations had been building up between the British and the Soviets. While at the same time there has been growing popular appreciation here because of Russian war efforts, I do not feel that this is based on Communistic ideology but respect for a power that had been underrated and was meeting the test of stopping the German war machine.
- V. M. Molotov, Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Not printed. The report was that German propaganda to the effect that Europe was being delivered to Moscow had redoubled as a result of Eden’s visit and that this had caused serious alarm in Western Europe and other areas which considered they might be affected. (740.0011 European War 1939/18257)↩