Statement on the Occasion of the Presentation by U.S. Ambassador Mr. Harriman of Certificates from President Roosevelt, June 28, 1944

I accept the certificates of President Roosevelt as a symbol of the fruitful cooperation between our states, carried out in the name of the freedom of our peoples and the progress of humanity.

The certificates will be presented to the representatives of Leningrad and Stalingrad.

Note

In May 1944, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt sent certificates to the USSR in which, on behalf of the American people, he expressed admiration for the steadfastness and courage of the inhabitants of Leningrad and Stalingrad.

Addressing the people of Leningrad, Roosevelt wrote: "On behalf of the people of the United States of America, I present this certificate to the city of Leningrad as a memento of its brave soldiers and its loyal men, women and children who, in conditions of isolation from their people by the invaders and in spite of constant bombardment and innumerable sufferings from cold, hunger and disease, successfully defended their beloved city during the critical period from September 8, 1941 to January 18, 1943 and thereby demonstrated the indomitable spirit of the people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and all peoples of the world in resisting the forces of aggression."

In the certificate addressed to the people of Stalingrad, it was stated in particular: "On behalf of the people of the United States of America I present this certificate to the city of Stalingrad to mark our admiration for its valiant defenders... Their glorious victory halted the wave of invasion and became the turning point of the war of the Allied nations against the forces of aggression."