861.5151/197: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:50 p.m.]
504. Department’s 279, June 6, 4 p.m.63 I discussed the ruble question with Vyshinski yesterday along the indicated lines, pointing out in particular that a very serious situation might easily develop, if in fact it had not already done so, unless the Soviet authorities could see their way clear to allowing the crews of merchant vessels bringing supplies to Russian ports to obtain rubles for their personal expenses at the diplomatic rate for the duration of the war. While expressing his thanks to the crews in question and also his satisfaction that Frankel had not been speculating but had only engaged in the decent action of helping these workers, Vyshinski stressed the illegality of the practice, it being a violation of the agreement under Which the diplomatic rate was established to offer this to other persons than the Diplomatic Corps. As Vyshinski appeared either unwilling or unable to approach the matter from a practical as distinct from the purely legal aspect, I at length told him that I would leave it entirely in his hands and that I urged him not to dismiss it lightly, repeating that a serious problem could not fail to develop if sailors manifested an increasing reluctance to sail on ships bound for Russian ports as a result of a condition which would be corrected easily and at no great cost to the Soviet authorities.