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  4. Document 468

File No. 763.72/6684

The British Ambassador ( Spring Rice) to the Secretary of State 1

No. 260
Washington, August 31, 1917.
[Received September 1.]

Sir: I have the honour to inform you, under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that His Majesty’s Government have been in consultation with the French Government regarding the proposed establishment of an Inter-Allied Council in Europe and that the two Governments have come to an agreement on the following points; they have further taken steps to obtain the adherence of the Russian and Italian Governments.

1.
The proposals of the United States Secretary of the Treasury for the establishment of an Inter-Allied Council in London are accepted. To attain the maximum of administrative efficiency the council would carry out most of its work through sub-committees and would so far as possible utilise inter-Allied organizations already existing in London.
2.
Its primary function would be to act as a clearing house for all Allied requirements of supplies from the American market and to report thereon to the Government of the United States.
3.
It was agreed that the desirability of their being represented on the Inter-Allied Council should once more be impressed upon the United States Government even should such representation consist [Page 569] only of an assessor or assessors who, without necessarily being members of the council or taking any active part in its deliberations, would nevertheless be in a position to report to their own Government. It is understood that the French Government have even made such representation a condition of their own agreement to Mr. McAdoo’s proposal.
4.
It is considered desirable that the council should sit in London and it is hoped that the United States Government will nominate a chairman, failing which it is thought that the French Government should be asked to do so, in addition to being represented by delegates on the council.
5.
Each of the Governments concerned should appoint at least two delegates.

I have [etc.]

(For the Ambassador)
Colville Barclay
  1. Referred to the Secretary of the Treasury, Sept. 4.↩