Memorandum from Joseph E. Davies to President Harry S. Truman Regarding Supplemental Report of Conferences with Foreign Minister Anthony Eden

mon DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) Dept. of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 Washington, D.C. By NLT-NK NARS Date 6-29-76 12 June 1945 The Honorable President Harry S. Truman, The White House, Supplemental Report of Conferences Washington, D.C. with Foreign Minister Eden. us ARCHIVES "NATIONAL SERVICE" RECORDS AND My dear Mr. President: With reference to the above entitled matter, I have the honor to report as follows: On Monday, May 28, Ambassador Winant, who has been most considerate and helpful, presented me to the Foreign Minister at the Foreign Office. Following the Prime Minister's suggestion, I covered the ground practically as in my discussions at Chequers, which were set forth in a previous report. In view of the Foreign Minister's connection with the San Francisco Confer- ence, I spoke very frankly. in a friendly (and certainly not in critical spirit), of the unfortunate manner in which issues had arisen as between the Soviet dele- gation and the delegations of Britain and the United States, and the overwhelming majority of the United Nations. Quite apart from the facts, it gave ground for the Soviets' suspicion that not only was the United Nations opposed to them on a question of long avowed principle, to wit: the destruction of Naziism; but also that the leadership of the opposition to the Soviets resided in the United States and Great Britain. Regardless of the friendly intent of these delegations to use the Argentine situation, in order to serve the Soviet desire to have additional votes for White Russia and the Ukraine, the manner in which the situation developed, (involv- ing as it did a complete change of front in the policy of the United States as to the Argentine), undoubtedly served to give the impression that the United States and Britain were "ganging up" against the Soviets. Eden replied that Molotov seemed to have left in good humor, and apparently no serious harm had been done. I replied that while I might be mistaken, I did not concur in that conclusion. The Soviets had already been greatly disturbed by recent events, culminating in the death of President Roosevelt. There had developed their cumulatively a series of situation which had aggravated and tested Rumania and and Hungary, and situations which had developed in military operations, confidence. The Polish discussions, lend lease, matters connected with them alleged lack of compliance with the military agreements at Yalta, had caused in my facts, which threatened a reappraisal of their entire policy. It of the grave concern. It was not so much the facts, but their construction opinion, characteristic of the Soviets, as was illustrated in August was also, 1939