Office of the Historian

811.24/1850a

Memorandum by the Adviser on International Economic Affairs (Feis) to the Assistant Secretary of State (Acheson)

[Washington,] July 9, 1943.

Mr. Acheson: I think you may want to give some consideration to the text of this cable which White sent over to Livesey for transmittal.91 It seems to me a rather inadequate presentation of the reasons for our position as we outlined it to Sir Frederick Phillips before his departure. I also call attention to the fact that the cable states “an Interdepartmental Committee … was established last December to deal with matters concerning our policy of financial assistance to our Allies”. I believe this to be a far broader statement of the jurisdiction of the committee than was the original assignment, if my understanding is correct. Furthermore, the cable does not give our Embassy in London any indication that Stettinius has played the leading part in this whole discussion, but gives the impression that the Treasury has.92

H[erbert] F[eis]
  1. For text of cable, see Mr. White’s memorandum of July 8 to Mr. Livesey, p. 60.↩
  2. Notation on the original reads: “Perhaps the simplest course is to add our own comment to this cable H. F.” For comment referred to, see telegram No. 4207, infra.↩