The head of the rescue expedition, M. Ostaltsov, Capt, Kotsov of the Murman and Capt. Barsukov of the Taimyr, addressed the following radiogram to Messrs, Stalin, Molotov. Voroshilov, Kaganovich, Kalinin, Mikoyan, Chubar, Andreyov, Kossior, Zhdanov, Eikhe, Yezhov, Petrovsky and Khruschev:
"Tt is difficult to describe in simple human words our excitement and joy when we received and read your greetings amidst the eternal ice fields near Greenland shores.
"We only did what every Soviet citizen would do, fulfilling your orders. The lives of the crews of both ships belong to our Fatherland. There is no greater happiness that to full the task assigned by our Bolshevik Party and the Soviet Government.
"On behalf of the crews of our ships, we report on our full readiness to fulfil any task assigned by you.
"Our honoured passengers, Messrs. Papanin, Krenkel, Shirshov and Fedorov: feel excellent, the polar station North Pole is loaded on board the ship down to the last little screw."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.