File No. 861.48/403
The British Ambassador ( Spring Rice) to the Secretary of State
Memorandum
The British Ambassador presents his compliments to the United States Secretary of State, and has the honour to inform him that he duly communicated by telegraph to His Majesty’s Government the substance of Mr. Lansing’s memorandum of October 3 on the subject of relief to the population of Poland.2
A telegram has now been received from Mr. Secretary Balfour, stating that His Majesty’s Government agree that no general relief of any kind should be given.
They also agree in principle to remittances, limited in amount and sent through approved societies. A special committee is being [Page 518] convened in London to control the question of remittances, and a member of the United States Embassy will be invited to attend.
His Majesty’s Government regard the proposal to send milk into Poland with grave misgiving, for the following reasons:
- (a)
- It will be difficult to maintain and to justify the restriction of this relief to a few urban communities to the exclusion of the rest of Poland and all other countries, such as Lithuania, Galicia, Servia and Syria. His Majesty’s Government are at present following a consistent policy in admitting food-stuffs into Belgium and northern France (which before the war were self-supporting, and the native produce of which is guaranteed against requisition) and in refusing to allow food-stuffs into occupied territories which before the war were self-supporting, and the native resources of which are not protected from requisition. If they depart from this clear principle they will be involved in far-reaching schemes of relief which will be open to the strongest objections.
- (b)
- The milk would have to be packed in tins. This will not only increase the difficulty of supply, but will also place at the disposal of the enemy a large quantity of tin which they are very anxious to secure.
- (c)
- The large and influential Jewish element in Poland is to a great extent actively pro-German, and its members are often employed as German agents in collecting food-stuffs for export to Germany.
- (d)
- His Majesty’s Government do not think that any adequate control over distribution is possible. They would have no confidence in local Polish committees, and they do not regard the Vevey Committee with favour.
In view of the above, the British Ambassador is instructed to express the hope that the project of sending milk into Poland will be abandoned.
[Received November 5.]