U.S. Discourages Soviet

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 83, 4 October 1940, Page 8

U.S. Discourages Soviet

TALKS SHIFT TO MOSCOW

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

(Received October 4, 8 a.m.) WASHINGTON, October 3

Sources connected with the Administration said that the United States was attempting* to discourage Russia from joining* the alliance between Japan, Italy, and Germany.

It is diselotsed that informal conversations have been resumed in Moscow as a continuation, it is reported, of the discussions between the Assistant Secretary of State, Mr. Sumner Welles, and the Russian Ambassador in Washington, M. Oumansky, which collapsed partly because Russia demanded mote liberal privileges in the United States for Russian "tourists" who, the United States contended, were too often Communist agitators.

"Washington officials felt that there was a greater possibility of success in dealing directly with high Russian officials than with M. Oumansky, whom Mr. Welles is reported to dislike personally, so the American Ambassador, Mr. L. A. Steinhardt. when he was in Moscow last month, was instructed to take up the conversations there. Mr. Steinhardt has been conferring intermittently with the Soviet Foreign 'Minister, M. Molotov, and is reported to be making some headway. The Administration sees little chance of Russia actively co-operating in combating the political and military ambitions of the signatories of the tripartite pact, but hopes that Russia may be persuaded to remain inactive, especially in the Far East.