841.24/2121: Telegram
The Consul at Algiers (Wiley) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 24—4:30 a.m.]
1824. For the President from the Secretary of the Treasury.
Your 1946 October 22, 12 p.m. This is in reply to your message, dated October 2 [22] suggesting that I might discuss with Sir John Anderson in London considerations raised in the memorandum on financial position, dated September 14, 1943, sent to me by Sir Kingsley Wood.
I think it would be desirable to reach agreement among the interested Departments of our own Government before taking up the matter with the British. An informal committee, consisting of representatives of the State Department, Lend-Lease, War, Navy, Treasury, and Mr. Crowley’s organization, have been, for a long time, considering problems of that character. The draft of proposed letter to Mr. Crowley was submitted to each of the members of that committee for the purpose of obtaining their reaction before making any definite recommendation. I learned, by cable, that there was a difference of view among the American members with respect to the wisdom of taking action such as was indicated in the draft of the proposed letter to Crowley. I had already cabled home that no further action should be taken with respect to the letter until my return.
Inasmuch as there appears to be a difference in view among the members as to the wisest course for us to pursue, I would suggest that we can make progress more effectively if we first attempted to reach agreement among the interested agencies. The British Government has kept us fully informed as to their views on the matter and have supplied us with all the data needed upon which to base a recommendation.
If there is agreement among members of informal committee indicated above and if you approve of their recommendations we can then take it up with British representatives in Washington before taking any final action. There are in Washington several representatives of the British Government who are thoroughly conversant with the problem and who have participated in discussions bearing on matter for many months.
After having read this cable if you still wish me to go to London I will of course be glad to do so but should you wish me to go I think it highly important that I should be instructed to present to Sir John Anderson Treasury viewpoint this matter and the Treasury viewpoint should of course be the administration viewpoint.
[Page 98]Arrive Cairo Monday morning. Planning spend 2 days there. Would appreciate hearing from you at Cairo. [Morgenthau.]59
- Department’s telegram No. 1598, October 25, 1943, 9 p.m., to the Minister in Egypt, transmitted the message that President Roosevelt thought it best for Secretary Morgenthau not to go to London. Meanwhile, there would be continued efforts to reach agreement in Washington. (102.1/9361a)↩