File No. 871.51/102

The Ambassador in France ( Sharp) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

2978. The following is a translation of joint telegram sent by Ministers of Great Britain, United States and France at Jassy under date of December 27, and transmitted to me by Foreign Office.

1.
We have reached an agreement with the Minister of Finance for the realization of the credits of $20,000,000 opened to Roumania for the rationing of the Army and the revictualling of the civilian population.
2.
It is agreed pursuant to our instructions that the drafts shall be remitted to the Minister of Finance who will consult us regarding the banks to be chosen for their negotiation. He pointed out to us that the Roumanian state being debtor for these sums should have considerable latitude as regards their realization. He added that in the present situation of Russia this realization will meet with the greatest difficulties which would not have existed and [had] credits been opened when they were first requested five months ago.
3.
Regarding the latter point the information received from Odessa fully confirms the opinion of the Minister of Finance. It [Page 736] appears therefrom that the banks are closed the [omission] and the public having withdrawn their deposits. By reason of the extreme difficulty of procuring important sums under such conditions it is advisable, according to the suggestion contained in our joint telegram of December 14,1 to consider the issuance at brief delay of roubles guaranteed by credits opened in the Allied states.
4.
We have placed this day at the disposal of the Roumanian Government $5,000,000, £600,000 sterling, and 2,000,000 francs. This assessment is explained by the fact that dollars and pounds are at present easier to negotiate than francs.
5.
It is agreed that for their utilization the sums shall be handed over to the president of the inter-Allied commissions of southern Russia. The Inter-Allied Central Committee is also in course of organization at Jassy.
6.
The English and French agents at Odessa state that their task cannot be fulfilled without the cooperation of the Russian authorities and that to obtain the latter it is necessary to extend the rationing to the Russian troops of the Russian-Roumanian front. This [garbled groups] possible to be assured from the funds placed at the disposal of Roumania it will be necessary to open fresh credits to a special account. We will shortly give specific indications regarding the amount of these new credits.
Sharp
  1. Not printed.