§ 76. Mr. Bartlettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what occasions he has taken up with the Soviet Government, officially and at a high level, the matter of the transfer to this country of Russian wives married to British husbands; and what steps he proposes to take in the future.
Mr. McNeilSince August, 1945, our Ambassador in Moscow has, upon my right hon. Friend's instructions, taken up the question five times in writing and eight times verbally. After my right hon. Friend had written to M. Molotov and spoken to Generalissimo Stalin in March last, without result, he decided to approach the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R., which is the ultimate seat of constitutional authority in the Soviet Union. I therefore took the opportunity of the visit to the United Kingdom of a delegation from that body and approached the leader of the delegation, M. Kuznetsov. The only result of this was a negative reply received through M. Vyshinski some time later, in August. Our Ambassador followed this up in October with a further letter to M. Molotov, giving a reasoned exposition of our point of view. We shall persist in bringing this home to the Soviet Government whenever an opportunity occurs, and our Ambassador in Moscow is taking up the question again now.