Office of the Historian

711.94114 Supplies/11–1244: Telegram

The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, November 12, 1944—9 p.m.
[Received November 14—12:45 a.m.]

4351. The following telegram has been received from Vladivostok:

161, November 11, 6 p.m. I was authoritatively informed today (ReConstel 156) that SS Tashkent actually carried from Vladivostok but 2000 tons of cargo in question, that Hakusan Maru arrived on 3d as scheduled but at 16 instead of 8 hours as anticipated, that Captain Watanabe of JNP 17,19 wished at first to load but 1500 tons but was persuaded to take full 2000, that Watanabe refused to count cargo but signed and chopped document listing number of packages and weight as presented by Captain Soviet ship in receipt of cargo (document also signed by Soviet customs representative), that stevedores worked 36 hours straight and Hakusan Maru sailed evening of 5th instead of 6th as scheduled.20

Same source stated that the 2000 tons included all medical supplies, all Canadian packages, all American supplies except some food packages, and part of British cargo. Remainder of supplies is being held in a separate warehouse in Vladivostok. “A couple of carloads” [Page 1195] of new supplies, including at least some of British origin, arrived at Vladivostok by rail yesterday.

Consulate General would appreciate being kept informed of any developments this connection whether or not action on its part is required. Clubb.21

Kennan
  1. A garble; possibly for “of the ship”.↩

  2. An undated announcement of the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (Tass) published in the Soviet press on November 23 declared that “in all 74,051 packages were despatched with an overall weight of 2,005,932 kilograms”.

    A Tokyo broadcast announced the arrival of the Hakusan Maru at Kobe on November 11. The United States thereafter accepted a Japanese offer “to transport these supplies in two ships, one to proceed to Shanghai and Tsingtao and the other to the southern areas” of Japanese controlled territory. See telegram 4105, December 5, 1944, to Bern, vol. v, p. 1074.

    ↩
  3. O. Edmund Clubb, Consul General at Vladivostok from September 19, 1944.↩