Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

861.24/4–1647

Memorandum by Mr. Durward V. Sandifer, Acting Legislative Counsel in the Office of the Legal Adviser

[Washington,] April 16, 1947.

In the Senate debate this afternoon on the Greek-Turkish bill,¹ a rather lengthy and heated exchange took place over the question of lend-lease shipments to Russia. There was criticism from Senator Bridges, Senator Johnson, and others, on the continuation of shipments under the “pipeline” agreement.

Senator Vandenberg sent word to me through Mr. Wilcox² of his concern over these statements and of the need for making some answer to them. He suggested the possibility of a brief categorical statement which he might make concerning these shipments. After consulting with Mr. Matlock, Mr. Thompson,³ and Mr. Hickerson, and clearing the text with Mr. Acheson, I called and gave Mr. Wilcox for Senator Vandenberg the following statement:

1. No shipments of civilian lend-lease materials have been made to Russia since V–J Day except for payment under the civilian “pipeline” agreement concluded under Section 3 (c) of the Lend-Lease Act of March 11, 1941.

2. No lend-lease war materials have been shipped to Russia since V–J Day except those in transit on that day.

3. No new procurement contracts for civilian or war lend-lease materials for shipment to Russia have been let since V–J Day.

Later, Mr. Wilcox called and said that Senator Vandenberg would like to have a fuller statement for possible use in today’s debate. He requested that we prepare such a statement after examining the record of the debate on this question. I arranged with Mr. Matlock to have such a statement prepared.⁴

D[urward] V. S[andifer]

1. For documentation on aid to Greece and Turkey, see vol. i, pp. 1 ff.
2. Francis O. Wilcox, Chief of Staff of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate.
3. Llewellyn E. Thompson, Jr., Chief of the Division of Eastern European Affairs.
4. For the text of a statement prepared by the Department of State as presented to the Senate on April 18 by Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, President pro tempore of the Senate, see Department of State Bulletin, May 4, 1947, pp. 814–815.