Stalin and Harriman Discuss Future Meeting with President

SECRET

Conversation             June 10, 1944

The Kremlin

Present: The American Ambassador, Mr. Harriman

 Marshal Stalin

 Mr. Molotov

 Mr. Page, Second Secretary of Embassy

 Mr. Pavlov, Secretary to Mr. Molotov

Subject: Future meeting between the President and Marshal Stalin.

After exchanging pleasantries I stated that the President had asked me to convey to Marshal Stalin his compliments and best regards. The Marshal thanked me warmly for the message and inquired as to the health of the President. I said that the President’s health had not been especially good last winter –he had had sinus trouble but was now well. The Marshal inquired whether this was a result of the Tehran trip. I replied in the negative and said that the President had always had sinus trouble in the winter months. In reply to the Marshal’s question as to the present status of the President’s health I said that he was very well and in full strength and vigor.

I informed the Marshal that the President had asked me to tell him that if the need arose to meet, he was not always ready to do so on short notice. This was not, of course, the case at the present time. The Marshal agreed. But the President had asked me to say that if the need should arise during the summer he proposed that such a meeting take place in Alaska. This was a good place to meet up to the middle of September but not afterwards. The Marshal said that if any need should arise, advantage should be taken of it at once and agreed that Alaska was a suitable place for such a meeting. But, he added, everybody was presently occupied with the military situation and there appeared to be no need for a meeting within the next three months. I said that was how the President viewed the next three months. However, he had asked me to say that in any unforeseen developments he was always ready to see the Marshal and that he desired to have another intimate talk with him prior to the collapse of Germany. This would be useful in settling all matters with respect to Germany.

I said that I had found the President living in the atmosphere of Tehran. The Marshal remarked that Tehran was now being put into effect –in the military and political fields. He added that so far as the German surrender was concerned, there was no disagreement.

EP:nn              [EHO]