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  Selected Secret Documents from Soviet Foreign Policy Documents Archives - 1919 to 1941

Concentrated on 1st and  2nd WW Correspondence and Meetings related to Turkey, Balkans and Iran, with some additions from Afghanistan and India.

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From; recording of the conversation of the peopleʹs commissioner for foreign affairs of the USSR V. M. Molotov with the ambassador of Great Britain in the USSR s. Crips *

August 6, 1941 top secret

Cripps arrived at comrade Molotovʹs summons, accompanied by the 3rd secretary of the embassy, Denlop.

Comrade Molotov stated that he had two questions that he wanted to pose to Cripps.

The first question, said comrade Molotov, concerns Turkey. The Soviet government considers it timely to raise the question of relations with Turkey. Comrade Molotov added that after his conversation with Cripps on august 5, he received a telegram from comrade Maisky with information about the conversation with Eden. After briefly acquainting Cripps with the contents of the telegram, comrade Molotov said that in his conversation with comrade Maisky, Eden went further in the proposals than Cripps did, and raised the issue of providing Turkey with assistance and military support in the event of pressure or attack on it from Germany. ... Eden, however, made a reservation that he did not define the implementation of his proposal by the moment, form and content under which a deMarche should have been made to Turkey.

Taking note of comrade Molotovʹs statement, Cripps asked where it would be better to reach agreement on measures related to the solution of the question posed — in London or in Moscow. In the opinion of Cripps himself, the deMarche would have been better coordinated in London.

Agreeing with Crippsʹ remark, comrade Molotov, for his part, asked the ambassador if he considered it right to send a telegram to comrade Maisky with instructions to take steps to agree on the moment, form and content of the deMarche of England and the USSR.

..............

Comrade Molotov said that the Soviet side would always keep in mind the opinion of the British government. If it was decided to conduct negotiations in Moscow, then for this purpose the Soviet government could authorize comrade Lozovsky.

Cripps promised to get in touch with his government and find out his point of view on this issue.

At the end of the conversation, comrade Molotov said that since comrade Zhukov was at the front at the moment, general McFarlin would be received by comrade Shaposhnikov, who is currently comrade Zhukov’s deputy. Information about Turkey, which Macfarlane wanted to bring to the attention of comrade Zhukov, he can communicate to comrade Shaposhnikov.

The conversation was recorded by Potrubach

Wua rf. F. 06. On. 3. P. 1. D. 6. L. 111‐113.

 

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