841.24/742: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)
3672. My 364438 and 3656.39 Further consideration by this Department of the text of the proposed agreement with the British, as contained in your 4134 of September 7, 1941, leads this Department to suggest that an urgent effort be made, before signing, to get the British to agree to the two following changes:
1. Certain changes should, it is felt, be made in the text of section 4 of the memorandum, and also in Mr. Eden’s letter, for the purpose of avoiding the implication that the British have been guilty of serious transgressions as regards the matters referred to which they will now undertake to correct. From a publicity standpoint this seems unfortunate, and doubtless the British will be as anxious as ourselves to avoid raising such an implication when it is not necessary to do so.
The changes referred to are as follows:
- 1.
- Second sentence of section 4 to be changed to read as follows: “His Majesty’s Government has adopted the policy summarized below: (1) no materials”, etc., to end of the sentence.
- 2.
- The next to the last sentence of section 4 to be changed to read: “Steps have been taken to prevent the export”, etc.
- 3.
- The first sentence of Mr. Eden’s letter to be changed so that the portion which now reads “I enclose an agreed memorandum on the policy which His Majesty’s Government intend to follow with regard to exports,” etc., will, as revised, read as follows: “I enclose a memorandum on the policy of His Majesty’s Government with regard to exports”, etc.
2. Section 4, omit the whole of the second sentence under Exception A, which begins “This would enable us”, etc.
The reason for this suggestion is the difficulty which arises in connection with the second part of the sentence, pertaining to tinplate. It seems certain that critics will raise the question as to how it is possible, considering the fact that provision has been made for purchase by lend-lease of large amounts of tinplate for the British Empire, that the British can have surplus tinplate of their own production to send to Argentina or Portugal. The specific inclusion of this interpretative provision seems certain to invite criticism which might not otherwise be raised. Furthermore, it seems desirable in a memorandum of this kind to avoid reference to specific commodities and countries.
[Page 36]If the second part of this sentence is omitted, then the first part seems unnecessary, since its meaning is already incorporated in the preceding sentence.