Russian flags black-bordered
Moscow pays tribute to Roosevelt
Saturday, April 14, 1945
MOSCOW, USSR (UP) – Black-bordered Russian flags fluttered from all official buildings today in accordance with an official Soviet decree ordering two days of mourning for President Roosevelt.
It was the first time in Soviet history that black-bordered flags have flown for a foreign statesman. Hitherto such an act was reserved for only the highest national leaders, such as Lenin.
The official government newspaper Izvestia said:
The Soviet people will always cherish the memory of the great American statesman, President Roosevelt, who has done so much to strengthen Soviet-American friendship.
All freedom-loving nations will remember him as the great organizer of the struggle of free nations against the common enemy, as the most outstanding battler in the cause of democracy and progress.
A memorial service was held at U.S. Ambassador Averell Harriman’s residence attended by Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov and other high Soviet officials.
Izvestia reviewed the President’s career, stressing his foresight and wisdom in foreign affairs. It highlighted his pre-war speeches and acts intended to check aggression, prepare America for war, his Lend-Lease policy and his aid and encouragement to the Soviet Union.