Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, Europe, Volume III

711.61/868½

Memorandum by the Second Secretary of Embassy in the Soviet Union (Page), Temporarily in Washington⁶¹

[Washington,] November 12, 1942.

Mr. Atherton: With respect to the remarks exchanged at the Kremlin banquet, the following section from Ambassador Standley’s report on the occasion may be pertinent:

“Stalin rose and stated that the Soviet Government questioned why the British and American Governments supplied the Soviet Government with inferior material. He stated that the American Government has furnished the Soviets with P–40’s instead of Aircobras and that the British had supplied Hurricanes instead of Spitfires, both of which were inferior to German planes; that when 150 Aircobras were allocated to the Soviet Union the British intercepted them and sent them somewhere else. He stated that the Russian people knew that both the Americans and the British had planes which were equal to or better than the German planes and could not see why some of these planes were not supplied to the Russians. This statement brought a reply from the British Ambassador in which he stated that he had full knowledge of the Aircobra diversion, that he could only say that he believed that the disposition made of these 150 Aircobras was of far greater value to the Allied cause than would have been the case had they been delivered to Russia.”

It would appear from telegrams recently exchanged between Hopkins and Harriman (see attached),⁶² and from remarks made by the British Ambassador in Moscow to Admiral Standley, that the facts as presented in Lord Halifax’s memorandum⁶³ in respect to the diversion of the Aircobras are substantially correct. However, since the actual diversion took place in England, and since the records now available in the Department do not include all the details of the transaction, it is probable that the exact story can only be obtained from Mr. Harriman, who is now in Washington. I will undertake to do this if you so desire.

In view of the friendly nature of Stalin’s speech of November 7⁶⁴—Stalin referred to the progressive improvement in Anglo-Soviet-American relations—it is doubted that any useful purpose would be served if the Secretary were to make a specific reference to the matter or attempted to “kill” Pearson’s story,⁶⁵ as suggested by Lord Halifax, which has large essence of truth in it. To stir up a matter that is now presumably dead would only place this Government in a defensive position of trying to justify itself for an action that has ultimately served the best interests of the United [Nations] cause, and concerning the facts of which Stalin must certainly be fully aware.

As will be noted from telegram no. 5616 of November 9 (attached),⁶⁶ sixty of the diverted Aircobras have already been delivered to the Soviet Union, and it is estimated that seventy will be delivered in November and forty-nine in December.

Edward Page, Jr.

61. Addressed to Ray Atherton, Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs. Mr. Page had accompanied Ambassador Standley on his return to Washington for consultation.
62. Not attached to file copy of this document.
63. Memorandum of November 9, 1942, not printed. Lord Halifax referred to the diversion to United States authorities in ‘September 1942 of certain Aircobras manufactured in the United States, which were being sent through the United Kingdom as part of the British Government’s commitment to supply the Soviet Government with fighter aircraft. These Aircobras were urgently needed by the United States as part of the preparation for the pending operations in North Africa. Lord Halifax declared that these arrangements had been made with the knowledge of the Russian representative in London, and were subsequently regularized by an agreement in Washington with the concurrence of the Russian representative in Washington, which provided for replacement of the diverted aircraft. (711.61/864½)
64. See telegram No. 438, November 8, from the Chargé in the Soviet Union, p. 475.
65. The reference is to an article headed “Strained Russo-British Relations” by columnist Drew Pearson, which appeared in the Washington Post for October 29, 1942. In the margin, Mr. Page has written and underlined in red: “Admiral Standley concurs.”
66. Not printed; but see the fourth paragraph of telegram No. 289 of October 5, to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union, p. 728.