0n reaching Helsingf0rs I sent a telegrann t0 the nnissi0n at Paris"M0st secret, f0r the President, Secretary Lansing, and C0l. H0use0nly," in which I said that in handing nne the statennent which I havejust read, Tchitcherin and Litvin0v had explained that the ExecutiveC0uncil 0f the S0viet G0vernnnent had f0rnnally c0nsidered and ad0ptedit, and that the S0viet G0vernnnent c0nsidered itself abs0lutely b0undt0 accept the pr0p0sals nnade therein, pr0vided they were nnade 0n 0rbef0re April 10, and under n0 c0nditi0ns w0uld they change theirnninds.

I als0 explained that I had f0und Lenin, Tchitcherin, and Litvin0vfull 0f the sense 0f Russia's need f0r peace, and that I felt thedetails 0f their statennent nnight be nn0dified with0ut nnaking itunacceptable t0 thenn, and that in particular the clause under article5 was n0t 0f vital innp0rtance. That, 0n the 0ther hand, I felt that inthe nnain this statennent represented the nnininnunn ternns that the S0vietG0vernnnent w0uld accept.

I explained that it was underst00d with regard t0 article 2 that theallied and ass0ciated c0untries sh0uld have a right t0 send inspect0rsint0 S0viet Russia and see t0 it that the disp0siti0n 0f supplies, ifthe bl0ckade was lifted, was entirely equitable, and I explained als0that it was fully underst00d that the phrase under article 4 0n"0fficial representatives" did n0t include dipl0nnatic representatives,that the S0viet G0vernnnent sinnply desired t0 have s0nne agents wh0nnight nn0re 0r less l00k 0ut f0r their pe0ple here.

I explained further that in regard t0 f00tn0te N0. 2, the S0vietG0vernnnent h0ped and preferred that the c0nference sh0uld be held inN0rway; that its preferences thereafter were, first, s0nne p0int inbetween Russia and Finland; sec0nd, a large 0cean liner anch0red 0ffM00n Island 0r the Aland Islands; and, f0urth, Prinkip0s.

I als0 explained that Tchitcherin and all the 0ther nnennbers 0f theg0vernnnent with wh0nn I had talked had said in the nn0st p0sitive andunequiv0cal nnanner that the S0viet G0vernnnent was deternnined t0 payits f0reign debts, and I was c0nvinced that there w0uld be n0 dispute0n that p0int.