Even before the arrival of the English Ambassador to the USSR, Mr. Cripps, in London, and especially after his arrival, reports have been circulated in the English and foreign press generally about the "imminence of war between the USSR and Germany." According to these reports: 1) Germany has allegedly presented the USSR with claims of a territorial and economic character, and negotiations are now under way between Germany and the USSR for the conclusion of a new, closer agreement between them; 2) the USSR has allegedly rejected these claims, in connection with which Germany has begun concentrating its troops on the borders of the USSR with the aim of attacking the USSR; 3) the Soviet Union, in its turn, has allegedly begun intensive preparations for war against Germany and is concentrating troops on the latter's borders. Despite the obvious absurdity of these reports, responsible circles in Moscow have nevertheless deemed it necessary, in view of the persistent circulation of these rumors, to authorize TASS to state that these rumors are a clumsily concocted piece of propaganda by forces hostile to the USSR and to Germany that are interested in the further expansion and unleashing of war.

TASS declares that: 1) Germany has not presented the USSR with any claims and is not proposing any new, closer agreement, in view of which negotiations on this subject could not have taken place; 2) according to information available to the USSR, Germany is adhering just as strictly to the terms of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact as the Soviet Union, in view of which, in the opinion of Soviet circles, the rumors about Germany's intention to break the pact and to undertake an attack against the USSR are devoid of all foundation, and the recent transfer of German troops, freed from operations in the Balkans, to the eastern and northeastern regions of Germany is connected, it must be assumed, with other motives having no bearing on Soviet-German relations; 3) the USSR, as follows from its policy of peace, has been observing and intends to observe the terms of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact, in view of which rumors that the USSR is preparing for war against Germany are false and provocative; 4) the summer call-up of Red Army reservists now under way and the forthcoming maneuvers have no purpose other than the training of reservists and the testing of the railroad system, carried out, as is well known, every year, in view of which to portray these measures of the Red Army as hostile to Germany is, to say the least, absurd.

Izvestiya. June 14, 1941.