File No. 656.119/488e
The Secretary of State to the Minister in the Netherlands (Garrett)
1222. You may informally advise the Minister of Foreign Affairs that this Government, in view of its offer to place at the disposal of the Government of the Netherlands 50,000 tons of bread cereal in [Page 1494] United States, has been endeavoring to accumulate such bread cereal at convenient ports in order that there might be as little delay as possible when ships from Dutch ports would reach here for the purpose of lifting such cereal. We are in position today to supply at once at ports 15,000 tons of such cereals. We can not, however, maintain this situation indefinitely, and suggest that if delay in loading Dutch ships is to be avoided in the future Dutch ships should promptly be dispatched from Netherlands ports and this Government advised as to their probable dates of arrival. Report result of informal conference promptly.