Department of State, Office of Public Affairs, Information Memorandum Number 59, Efforts by the United States to Cooperate with the USSR

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DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) RESTRICTEL DEPT. of STATE LTR. 3-6573 NARS Dat3-14-73 September 19, 1949 DEPARTMENT OF STATE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS INFORMATION MEMORANDUM NO. 59 While this memorandum itself is not for release, officers participating in public liaison through speeches or background talks may find this material useful in answering questions. EFFORTS BY THE UNITED STATES TO COOPERATE WITH THE USSR 1. There is attached a summary which shows the specific instances in which the US has attempted to cooperate with the USSR for the attainment of international peace, and the negative responses of the Soviet authorities to these over- tures. (While similar or parallel endeavors have been made by Great Britain and other Western Powers, this paper deals only FRUMAN with United States policies and activities.) RECOURS 2. It will be observed that the American efforts have SERVICE" SOURSEY extended over a wide front and that the response has been prevailingly negative. On our side, the extensive American newspaper reporting of and high praise for the Russian stand at Stalingrad, and for subsequent military successes will be recalled. On the other hand, little recognition of the American military effort or of our Lend-Lease assistance to the Russians was ever made known to the Russian people through their press and radio, and recent Soviet propaganda has disparaged the US contribution to the war. The Soviets also failed, as General John R. Deane pointed out in his book Strange Alliance, to reciprocate a,t all in the exchange of military and technological information, despite the vast amount of such information supplied by us. Finally, the Soviet Government has failed to make any effort to reach an agreement (even on the scaled-down basis offered by us) for settlement of its Lend-Lease account, although such agree- ments have been successfully negotiated with nearly all other countries to which we extended Lend-Lease facilities and supplies. 3. The post=war efforts of the US to reach a basis of understanding and agreement with the Soviets have likewise been repulsed. UNRRA aid (of which the United States contributed 72 percent) was sent to Russia, but little DECLASSIFIED publicity E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) RESTRICTE ,He-NLT NARS Date 3-14-73

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