File No. 654.119/94
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 9, 12.10 p.m.]
8194. Referring to your 6126, December 26,1 and 6181, January 5, 5 [6] p.m. Following is for your information and for War Trade Board from Sheldon:
Conference was held at the Foreign Office today which Wheat Executive, Ministry of Shipping and Sheldon attended. British position is as follows. Their representatives’ approval ad referendum to the American-Swiss agreement was due to misapprehension derived from the French to the effect that the ravitaillement conference had agreed to furnish not only the wheat but also the tonnage. The Wheat Executive maintains that it never agreed to furnish the tonnage and Beale2 [expressly] points out that he stated this to be inadvisable both from lack of shipping and because the Wheat Executive boats could not obtain safe conduct. While the British agree that there is every urgency for furnishing the wheat and tonnage to Switzerland for the reasons that were so strongly urged in Paris, both the Wheat Executive and the Ministry of Shipping say that they cannot find the tonnage either among Allied or neutral ships, and the Wheat Executive state further that they fear they may be short on their January program on account of shortage although having priority call on the Ministry of Shipping availability.
The British in spite of the foregoing read the text of the Swiss agreement to mean that the grain is guaranteed to Switzerland subject to an arrangement to be made between the Wheat Executive and the Inter-Allied Chartering Executive and while they are willing to use their best efforts to find the tonnage they nevertheless feel that Switzerland ought to agree in principle that if the tonnage is found satisfactory credits will be granted by Switzerland. The Swiss apparently are willing to agree to this in principle and the difficulty now arises of securing the tonnage and I am asked to cable whether if the Dutch tonnage in America is made available it would not be possible to get a permit from the Dutch to use some of this tonnage immediately to transport cereals to Cette provided the Swiss can obtain safe conduct for these boats. The British see no other way of finding the tonnage for Switzerland. Cravath telegraphs from Paris that Clémentel claimed that there is no commitment to the Swiss for tonnage for transportation of wheat and states the record supports his view.
Do you approve of trying to make arrangements to use Dutch boats for this purpose? If not, could you offer any assistance for the transport of wheat and what are your general instructions regarding tonnage for the Swiss requirements?