Paris Peace Conf. 103.97/84a: Telegram
The Food Administrator (Hoover) to the Acting Food Administrator (Richard)
Food 167. Following letter was sent to British Ministry Food January 2d and is transmitted for your information.
“The problem of taking care of the surplus production from the United States is becoming extremely acute and requires further solution or alternatively we will have an economic situation arising that will be a disaster to all the Associated Governments.
In further amplification of the letter which I addressed today to Mr. Clynes62 on this whole subject, I would like to point out the Pork Product situation as a case in point.
The original British program under war conditions called for an import, according to the various programs, of somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 or 60,000 tons a month of Pork Products and lard. The producing conditions in the United States were adjusted to this originally and from the necessity of advance manufacture preparations were made by the American packers to supply the particular cuts required by the British public. As you are aware, this curing has to be started 60 days in advance. The program of over 200,000 tons of these products for January–March was repeated and established as late as December 15th and confirmed to our Washington office.
On the faith of these programs the packers were assured by the Food Administration that they should go ahead and make the necessary provisions, and they state that this advance curing was also confirmed by your representatives.
I am advised from Washington that they now find themselves with some 45,000 tons of Cumberland cuts and some 30,000 tons of Wiltshire cuts in hand, ready for delivery in January. With the reduction of British orders to the basis of 20,000 tons a month this, of course, produces an extremely critical situation.
It is the last of our desires to ask the British Government or the British public to take a product which they cannot consume and we are extremely anxious to come to some adjustment in the matter which will protect both sides. I cannot but feel that there would be the same desire on your part to meet the changed conditions produced by the war situation that there has been on our part to adjust supplies to the Allies’ every need, and I would indeed be glad to know if you cannot suggest some further solution to this matter.”
- John Robert Clynes, British Food Controller.↩