July 23, 1942.
 
MEMORANDUM FOR
 
     THE SECRETARY OF WAR           
     THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY 
     HON. HARRY L. HOPKINS
     CHAIRMAN OF THE MARITIME COMMISSION      
     LEND-LEASE ADMINISTRATOR 
  
            I told General Bradley, on the eve of his departure for Moscow, the important thing to
impress on the Russians is that we are wholly realistic about shipments to Russia and that he must
impress this fact on the Russian authorities.      .
 
            The one essential criterion is not pages and pages listing commitments under the Moscow
Protocol.
 
            The real criterion is the ability to deliver materials into Russia.
 
          We must make every effort to make deliveries by any and all practical means.
     
     Therefore, our position should be to say to the Russians, in effect, that we can let them
have almost anything they want, but they must  list these items in an order of priority and then we
will fill them in the order chosen by them.
 
     I am, of course, referring to materials carried on shipboard or by transport plane. 
Bombers which can be delivered under their own power constitute the only exception and in this
case these bombers must, of course, be allocated from the general pool.
 
F.D.R.