File No. 659.119/439a

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page )

[Telegram]

716. The Danish negotiations are now progressing and for your information and that of Sheldon and Stevens the following is present status:

The Allies would receive about 200,000 tons more tonnage for war zone service than is at present in use, as most of the Danish tonnage is in safe trades. Under the English-Danish agreement there are only 114,000 tons chartered to Great Britain for war zone service. In addition to this there is a flexible amount now aggregating about 56,000 tons which is running mainly to Italian ports from United States. This makes a present total in use of 170,000 tons deadweight, whereas when the agreement is perfected England would receive full 200,000 tons under charter and United States would receive 88,000–tons for war zone service and 82,000 tons for Belgian Relief, which would release Norwegian and Belgian tonnage now trading for Belgian Relief. This means an actual gain of 200,000 tons for war zone service which at the present time, in view of our urgent need for vessels in the trade delivering food stuffs to France and Italy, we feel is a very strong reason for concluding the agreement at the earliest possible date.

We would ask that you confer with British authorities and try to secure their prompt concurrence to the concluding of the agreement.

Polk