File No. 654.119/112

The Swiss Minister ( Sulzer ) to the Secretary of State

Memorandum

After his interview with Doctor Taylor January 2, the Minister of Switzerland cabled to the Swiss Government in Berne that according to a statement made by Doctor Taylor the War Trade Board, in agreement with the British Embassy, had forwarded the following proposals to London by cable:

Switzerland shall be supplied with the guaranteed allotments of breadstuff grains for the first two months (30,000 tons per month) out of the supply held by the Allies in Europe. For further allotments Switzerland shall be granted the necessary tonnage to enable her to procure the breadstuff grain in the Argentine, where it will be placed at the disposal of Switzerland by the Inter-Allied Wheat Executive.

This information has been transmitted to the Legation of Switzerland in London with the request to ascertain whether the British authorities have accepted this proposition.

The Legation of Switzerland in Washington is now in receipt of a cable from Berne stating that Sir [Eyre] Crowe 1 has referred the Legation of Switzerland in London to the wording of the decision taken by the “section de ravitaillement” at the inter-Allied conference in Paris which reads as follows:

[Translation]

The Allies are in agreement that the bread cereals to be supplied to Switzerland, in so far as the commodities themselves are concerned, should be included in the provisions for importation by France, the maritime transportation having to be provided by Switzerland.

The Minister of Switzerland has been instructed by the Swiss Government to draw the attention of the Government of the United States to the fact that this wording is in direct contradiction to the corresponding paragraph in the memorandum reached between the War Trade Board and the Swiss Government, and to request the Government of the United States that immediate steps be taken to clear up the apparent misunderstanding so that there be no further delay in the supply of Switzerland with the guaranteed breadstuff grain allotments. The Government of the United States is no doubt [Page 1595] aware that, as, contrary to the stipulations of the American-Swiss memorandum, no action has yet been taken, the bread situation in Switzerland is becoming most critical.

  1. Of the British Foreign Office.