Telegram from Ambassador Averell Harriman to President Harry S. Truman and Secretary of State James Byrnes

NLT- 135 SECRET DISPATCH copy / DRAFTER EXT. ADDRESSEES PRECEDENCE ALUSNA MOSCOW ASTERISK (*) MAILGRAM ADDRESSEE 1 FROM PRIORITY 2 RELEASED BY ROUTTNINE 3 4 CNO 8 AUG 1945 DEFERRED 5 DATE BASEGRAM 6 2048/08 DECLASSIFIED by authority of 7 TOR CODEROOM state Dept It to NARS 8-10-72 8 DECODED BY COOK memo from NL PRIORITY 9 to NLT 4-12-73 10 PARAPH RASED CHECKED ROUTINE BY COOK 11 BY PACKARD Litials BK2 Bate 05/21/24 DEFERRED 12 DITTOED ROUTED BY COOK BY COOK BASEGRAM 13 14 UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED THIS DISPATCH WILL BE TRANSMITTED WITH DEFERRED PRECEDENCE AND AS ADMINISTRATIVE. IF OPERATIONAL 15 081431 NCR 8473 CHECK BELOW 16 17 18 Originator fill in DATE AND T IME ROUP (Use G. C. T. 19 ON OUTGOING DISPATCHES PLEASE LEAVE ABOUT. ONE INCH CLEAR SPACE BEFORE BEGINNING TEXT 20 21 (PERSONAL AND TOPSECRET FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE SECRETARY OF 22 STATE FROM HARRIMAN) 23 24 AS A MATTER OF GENERAL INTEREST SOONG TOLD ME THAT STALIN 25 SAID THE DISCUSSIONS AT POTSDAM WERE GENERALLY SATISFACTORY. 26 27 28 HE FOUND PRESIDENT TRUMAN FRANK AND DIRECT. HE SAID THAT 29 SECRETARY BYRNES WAS ABLE AND WORKED HARD TO REACH AGREEMENT. 30 31 HE EXPRESSED HIS SURPRISE AND REGRET THAT CHURCHILL HAD BEEN 32 DEFEATED. HE DESCRIBED BEVIN AS FORCEFUL AND RESOURCEFUL AND THAT 33 34 HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED. 35 36 us SERVICE', AND 37 COVERN HENT 38 39 NCR ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTION: 40 41 NAVAIDE (#1 THRU #5 ) ACTION (AND FOR DELIVERY TO SECSTATE) 42 43 44 45 the 46 47 48 49 No. I ADMIRAL. No. 2 FILE. No. 3F- I OR CHARTROOM. No. 4 SPECIAL. 50 51 TOP SECRET 52 Handle only in accordance with "Top Secret" ins tructions contained in Article 76, Navy Regulations COPY NO. O PNAV 19-78