File No. 763.72/8559

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

No. 5906

Sir: Confirming my telegram No. 2950 of yesterday’s date1 relative to the desire of the Minister of Blockade to have the American Government represented on the International Committee of Economic Action, I have the honor to enclose herewith copy and translation of the Minister’s note on which my telegram was based.

I am verbally informed by the secretary general of this committee that it is very much hoped that an announcement may be made at the next meeting to be held on January 12, of the decision which the American Government takes in this matter.

I have [etc.]

Wm. G. Sharp
[Page 943]
[Enclosure—Translation]

The French Minister of Blockade ( Lebrun) to the American Ambassador ( Sharp)

Mr. Ambassador: At the first conference of the Allied Powers, held at Paris, March 27 and 28, 1916,1 it was resolved that a permanent committee be established whereon all the Allied Governments would be represented and the object of which would be to “reinforce, coordinate and unify the economic action which is to be exerted with a view to preventing the revictualling of the enemy.”

Pursuant to this resolution, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proceeded to organize the International Permanent Committee of Economic Action, which, since June 20 of the same year, meets periodically at No. 33 rue Jean Goujon, under the presidency, first, of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and, subsequently, of the Minister of Blockade. The researches and deliberations of the said meeting result in the adoption of resolutions which are recommended to the consideration of the Allied Governments, which reserve the right to decide whether they deem advisable or not to accept them and put them into effect.

The Governments which, at the outset, were invited to be represented on the committee, that is to say, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Russia, and Serbia, have appointed representatives who, later, were joined by the Roumanian delegate. My predecessors have requested Your Excellency kindly to bring about a similar decision on the part of the Washington Cabinet. I would be much obliged if you would urge upon your Government the participation henceforth of one or two American delegates in the work of the committee.

It is needless for me to point out here the very serious usefulness of such a collaboration from the American point of view, as well as from that of ourselves and our allies; it would, in fact, bring about the coordination necessary for the preparation of measures which, in order to produce their full effect, require a complete simultaneity in all the different countries interested, and would thus contribute to assuring the efficacy of the action of the Allies against the common enemy. In accordance with such considerations, the Federal Government has just decided, in the course of the conference recently held at Paris, to send a special delegate to the International Commission on Contingents; there would therefore seem, as Your Excellency will [Page 944] doubtless agree, to be no difficulty about taking similar action in regard to the committee in question.

Accept [etc.]

A. Lebrun