Telegram from Ambassador Averell Harriman to Secretary of State James Byrnes

NOT - 159 - SECRET DISPATCH copy / DRAFTER EXT. ADDRESSEES PRECEDENCE ASTERISK (*) MAILGRAM ADDRESSEE FROM AMBASSADOR HARRIMAN 1 PRIORPAPPP 2 3 RELEASED BY ROUTINE SECRETARY OF STATE 4 DEFERRED DATE 9 AUGUST 1945 5 BASEGRAM 6 TOR CODEROOM 1503 7 DECLASSITIOD iy auth: ity uf State Dept Its to 8 ROLL NARS 8-10-72 9 DECODED BY PRIORITY memo from NL 10 PARAPH RASED CHECKED to NLT 4-12-73 ROUTINE BY ROLL GLUNT 11 BY Initials BRU Date 5/21/14 DEFERRED 12 DITTOED ROUTED BY ROLL BY ROLL BASEGRAM 13 14 UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED THIS DISPATCH WILL B.E TRANSMITTED WITH DEFFRRED PRECEDENCE AND AS ADMINISTRATIVE. IF OPERATIONAL 15 CHECK BELOW PAGE 1 OF 2 091305 NCR 9128 16 17 18 Originator till in DATE AND TIME GROUP (Use G. C. T. 19 ON OUTGOING DISPATCHES PLEASE LEAVE ABOUT ONE I NCH CLEAR SPACE BEFORE BEGINNING TEXT 20 21 TOPSECRET AND PERSONAL FOR THE SECRETARY 22 S. OF STATE FROM HARRIMAN 23 24 us SERVICOS 25 COVERNMENT 26 27 WHEN MOLOTOV INFORMED THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR AND ME LAST NIGHT 28 EVENING THAT THE SOVIET UNDON WOULD CONSIDER ITSELF IN A 29 30 STATE OF WAR WITH JAPAN AS OF AUGUST 9 HE EMPHASIZED THAT 31 ALTHOUGH AT ONE TIME IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THIS ACTION COULD 32 33 NOT TAKE PLACE UNT LL MID-AUGUST THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT HAD 34 NOW STRICTLY LIVED UP TO ITS PROMISBETO ENTER PACIF IC WAR 35 36 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DEFEAT OF GERMANY. IN REPLY TO AND INQUIRY 37 MADE BY THE BRITISH AS TO HOW THE JAPANESE ABBASSADOR HAD 38 39 REACTED TO THE STATEMENT HANDED HIM AT 5 O'CLOCK, MOLOTOV 40 FIRST EXPLAINED THAT SATO WAS A KIND HEARTED MAN" AND THAT 41 42 HE HAD ALWAYS HAD GOOD RELATIONS WITH HIM. MOLOTOV CONT INUED 43 THAT SATO INQUIRED AS TO WHAT THE SOVIET STATEMENT MEANT WITH 44 45 RESPECT TO THE WORDS "TO DELIVER THE PEOPLE FROM FURTHER 46 SACRIFICES AND SUFFERING AND TO ENABLE THE JAPANESE IPEOPLE 47 48 :49 No. I ADMIRAL. No. 2 FILE. No. 3F-1 OR CHARTROOM. No. 4 SPECIAL. 50 51 SECRET 52 Handle only in accordance with "Top Secret" instructions contained in Article 76, Navy Regulations COPY NO. ODNAY n0-