Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, Europe, Volume IV

861.24/1780: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)

Washington, May 5, 1944—10 p.m.

1126. 1. We agree with you that supplies for use in the liberated areas of the Soviet Union during the course of the war can be supplied on lend-lease terms under the Protocol and that no attempt should be made to enter into a separate commitment for such supplies or to segregate them. As suggested in your 669 of February 28,⁸⁰ such supplies can be included by the Russians in preparing the Fourth Protocol. Consequently, all United States participation in furnishing supplies will be through lend-lease financing as military aid. Such a procedure would of course be followed only in the active military period.

2. As long as the only means of access to Eastern Europe is through Soviet inlets and transport facilities limit the volume of Protocol shipments that can be made, we would not initiate any proposals to provide supplies directly to governments of non-Soviet liberated areas if the practical result would be to reduce Protocol shipments. However, we would wish to offer any feasible direct assistance to those countries. For instance, we would be sympathetic to any arrangement the Czechs might be able to make with the Soviet Union which would allow shipment of Lend-Lease supplies via Soviet inlets for Czech account for use in Czechoslovakia. When supply routes have opened up and recognized indigenous governments have been constituted in non-Soviet areas, the whole problem of supplies for such areas will, of course, be open to reconsideration.

3. It is not contemplated that UNRRA⁸¹ will act in non-Soviet areas until it can make arrangements satisfactory to it for the transportation of its supplies and the necessary personnel. The Czechs in London have asked UNRRA whether it could at a future date replace supplies which the Soviet Government might have previously made available to liberated areas of Czechoslovakia. This is not feasible both because of the practical difficulties of accounting and supervision and because of the doubt as to whether UNRRA funds could be used to replace relief supplies previously furnished by another. It might also violate the principle that UNRRA funds are not to be used to finance relief administered as a part of military operations.

You should not yet discuss these matters with the Soviet Government but your telegraphed comments on the principles stated above would be welcomed.⁸²

Hull

80. Not printed.
81. United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration; for correspondence on participation by the United States in the work of UNRRA, see vol. ii, pp. 331 ff.
82. The Chargé in the Soviet Union, Maxwell M. Hamilton, in telegram 1606, May 8, 1944, 9 p.m., indicated that it was assumed that questions concerning relief supplies would be discussed with Ambassador Harriman, who was soon to be temporarily in Washington (861.24/1779).