has strengthened our weak spots and anables me to turn my eyes toward consideration of 
 
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,