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

NLT-137 SECRE DISPATCH Copy / DRAFTER EXT. ADDRESSEES PRECEDENCE ASTERISK (*) MAILGRAM ADDRESSEE 1 FROM ALUSNA MOSCOW ARRRPRPP 2 THE PRESIDENT 3 RELEASED BY ROUT INE THE SECRETARY OF STATE 4 DEFERRED DATE 8 AUG 1945 5 BASEGRAM 6 DECLASSIFIED by authority of TOR CODEROOM state Dept its to 7 0356/9 NARS 8-10-72 8 memo from NL 9 DECODED BY CONNORS PRIORITY to NLT 4-12-73 S. 10 PARAPHRASED CH ECKED ROUTINE BY CONNORS Initials BK20ate5/2114 11 BY CMDR GARDNER ANU DEFERRED 12 DITTOED ROUTED BY CONNORS CONNORS services BY BASEGRAM 13 COYEPAMENT 14 UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED THIS DISPATCH WILL BE TRANSMITTED WITH DEFFRRFD PRECEDENCE AND AS ADMINISTRATINE IF OPERATIONAL 15 CHECK BELOW PAGE 1 OF5T 082330 NCR 8779 16 17 18 Originator till in DATE AND TIME GROUP (Use G. C. T) 19 ON OUTGOING DISPATCHES PLEASE LEAVE ABOUT ONE LNCH'CLEARSPACE BEFORE BEGINN ING TEXT 20 21 PERSONAL AND TOP SECRET FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE SECRETARY OF 22 STATE FROM HARRIMAN. 23 24 FOLLOWING THE PRELIMINARY TALK REPORTED MY 0813412.8 EXPLAINED 25 26 TO STALIN THAT IN CONNE6TION WITH THE CONTEMPLATED SOVIET CHINESE 27 28 ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PORTS AND RAILROADS IN MANCHURIA YOU WISHED 29 TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT AMERICAN AND WORLD OPINION SHOULD NOT CON- 30 31 STRUE THEM TO PREJUDICE OUR HISTORIC OPEN DOOR POLICY AND THEREFORE 32 ASKED THAT HE PUT IN WRITING THE VERBAL ASSURANCES HE HAD GIVEN 33 34 TO SUPPORT THIS POLICY IN MANCHURIA. HE IMMEDIATELY SAID: TTIS 35 CAN BE DONE". I THEN PRESENTED OUR PROPOSED TEXT. HE READ IT OVER 36 37, 38 CAREFULLY AND SAID IT WAS SATISFACTORY EXCEPT FOR THE LAST SENTENCE 39 IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH. HE EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS CONTEMPLATED IN 40 41 THE YALTA AGREEMENT THAT RUSSIA SHOULD HAVE A PREEMINENT POSITION 42 AND THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THAT TO MEAN A PREFERENTIAL POSITION IN 43 44 THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PORT OF DAIREN. THEN FOLLOWED A LONG 45 DISCUSSION IN WHICH I STATED THAT YOU HOPED HE WOULD NOT PRESS 46 47 48 '49 No. I ADMIRAL. No. 2 FILE. No. 3F- I OR CHARTROOM. No. 4 SPECIAL. 50 51 TOP SECRIT 52 Handle only in accordance with "Top Secret" instructions contained in Article 76, Navy Regulations COPY NO. 082330 O PNAV 19-78