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USSR	Reference: 3/PPDT/T31

1. TURKISH AMBASSADOR TELLS AMERICAN DIPLOMAT OF ITALIAN PREPARATIONS TO ATTACK SALONIKA
2. WRITER
(1940)

From:	LONDON
To:	MOSCOW
No:	890	15th Aug. 40

To DIRECTOR.

1. The Turkish Ambassador has told an American diplomat that they are aware of Italian preparations for an attack on SALONIKA from Albania, but Turkey will scarcely be able to help Greece since they [illegible] consider that their [a] northern [frontier] is secure.

2. WRITER [PISATEL'][i] has reported [the following][b]: [1 group unidentified][c] his ship the MALINES went into ROTTERDAM with the task of preparing for the evacuation of the Consulate. At the same time as an air drop by 200 SAUSAGE-DEALERS [KOLBASNIKI][ii] was in progress the Canadians were unloading from a Swedish steamer that had arrived about a month earlier. Every night from [1 group unidentified][d] to 19th May ten ships carrying troops left SOUTHAMPTON for CHERBOURG. On [1 group unidentified][e] his ship arrived in DUNKIRK where it rescued 750 seamen from the destroyers WAKEFUL and GRAFTON [iii] which had been sunk by SAUSAGE-DEALER E-boats [TORPEINYJ KATER]. For five days 20 destroyers made two trips a day evacuating troops from DUNKIRK. Seven destroyers and 11 transports were lost. 260,000 men were got away. On [B% 2nd] August seven steamships brought Canadian troops into GREENOCK. On [B% 3rd] August some of them left for an unknown [B% area] accompanied by a battleship, a cruiser and six destroyers. On [B% 3rd] August two steamships were sent to Iceland with 2,000 soldiers.

No. 228

BARCh [iv]

Notes:	[a]	It is not clear whether this refers to Turkey or Greece.
	[b]	Inserted by translator.
	[c]	A date in April (the same date as at note [d]).
	[d]	A date in April (the same date as at note [c]).
	[e]	28th or 29th May.
Comments:	[i]	WRITER: See also MOSCOW's No. 417 of 20th August 1940 (3 NBF/T1735), and LONDON's Nos. 880 of 14th August 1940 (3/NBF/T1437), 240 (internal) of 26th August 1940 and 1107 of 3rd October 1940.
	[ii]	SAUSAGE-DEALERS: the Germans.
	[iii]	WAKEFUL and GRAFTON: sunk on 30th and 29th May 1940 respectively.
	[iv]	BARCh: Possible Simon Davidovich KREMER, whose official post was Secretary to the Soviet Military Attaché in LONDON. He was appointed in 1937 and is thought to have left sometime in 1946. The covername BARCh occurs as a LONDON addressee and signatory between 3rd March 1940 and 10th October 1940, after which it is superseded by the covername BRION.

ww2dbase

Source(s):
United States National Security Agency

Added By:
C. Peter Chen

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