-3-                             
 
                                                            
 
 
Iran gave Mr. Willkie on his recent tour (Enc. D).  They tell the same   
story--of the unsuccessful efforts to get permission from the Soviet   
authorities to have some of the 150 Polish priests detained in Russia   
minister to the spiritual needs of the six hundred thousand Poles who   
survive out of the more than a million driven from their own country into   
                Russia in the fall of 1939.                 
 
                                                            
 
 
What I have written so far constitutes, I think, a valid criticism of the   
two propositions suggested as make on the subject of religious freedom in   
the U.S.S.R.  I realize, however, that what you are probably most   
interested in is a constructive suggestion as to what kind of a statement   
on the subject would be adequate if the Soviet authorities were disposed   
to make it--and mean it.  First of all, I do not think that any such any   
statement need include an explicit reference to the past.  A justification   
of the past would not be accepted and a confession can hardly be expected   
in the circumstances.  Something like the following would meet the   
"face-saving" requirements of the situation and constitute a declaration   
which, if sincerely made, would be meaningful: "In view of the loyal   
participation of all our people in the defense of the Fatherland under the   
direction of constituted authority in the State, the Soviet Government,   
interpreting and applying Article 124 of the U.S.S.R. constitution,   
publicly proclaims complete religious freedom, including freedom of   
worship and freedom of religious teaching, in all the territories of the   
Soviet Union.  Abuse of these freedoms to incite or organize movements for   
the overthrow of the government by force will be dealt with individual   
                  cases according to law."                  
 
                                                            
 
 
If the Soviet Government will take action that justifies a statement of   
this kind, it will have contributed immensly to present morale and future   
harmony among the United Nations.  If it will not, then it is evidently   
better not to make, even by implication, a commitment on the acceptability   
of an ambiguous statement which would only aggravate the difficulty of   
post-war discussions by having another untrustworthy declaration on the   
                          record.                           
 
                                                            
 
 
I am sorry that this communication has been so  
                            long