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has strengthened our weak spots and enables me to present to you a specific and I believe very
important proposal for diverting some German strength away from the attack on your country on the
Western Front.
This objective bears great weight with me. One of
the compelling reasons bearing on my proposal is that the shipping problem is our
most difflcult one and that therefore, the voyage across
the Atlantic for troops and munltlons is must more militarily
advantageous than the much longer voyage across the Pacific.
A number of alternatives in the European field must
be considered.
Therefore, I wish you would consider sending Mr.
Molotov and a General upon whom you rely to Washington
in the immediate future. Time is of the essence if we are
to help in an important way this Summer. We will furnish
them with a good transport plane so they should be able to make the round trip in two weeks.
I do not want by such a trip to go over the head of
my friend, Mr. Litvinov in any way as he will understand,