Cable, Summary of Averell Harriman Meeting with T. V. Soong

PARAPHRASE OP NAVY CABLE JULY 5, 1945, FROM MOSCOW

TOP SECRET

FROM HARRIMAN, TOP SECRET AND PERSONAL FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE

SECRETARY OF STATE:

This morning I called on Dr. Soong and carried out the instructions contained in White House Message No. 308 July 4 regarding Outer Mongolia. He repeated what he had said in our first talk, that he was asking for the information for his own guidance and had no intention of bringing the United States' understanding or interpretation of the various provisions of the Yalta Agreement into his discussion with Stalin. He recognizes that this would be unwise from his own standpoint as well as from ours.

Soong expects to see Stalin again tonight and to inform him that he is prepared to accept the Yalta provision on Outer Mongolia as worded. He will tell Stalin again that no government in China could survive if it recognized the independence of Outer Mongolia and he hopes to be able to convince Stalin that the Generalissimo cannot agree to do so. If he can come to an agreement with Stalin over Outer Mongolia he is hopeful that an understanding can be worked out in regard to the railroads and the ports. However, he would greatly appreciate receiving informally our attitude in regard to the questions raised in my message of July 3.

Soong states, however, that the conversations will break down if no agreement can be reached on Outer Mongolia. I urged on him the desirability of arriving at an agreement on a bilateral basis and pointed out the many disadvantages of failure to reach an understanding now.

RPM