600.119/1839: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain ( Davis )
3596. For Sheldon [from War Trade Board]: No. 1904. Referring further Embassy’s 4613, December 14, your 2093. We approve the procedure suggested in your cablegram and will make proper announcements here on December 26 to become effective immediately. We have cabled to our representatives in Northern Neutral countries to this effect.40 Applications heretofore cabled to you covering commodities other than those included in the specific embargo or statistical embargo lists or in the so-called free list set forth in Embassy’s 3966, November 23, your 1924, concerning which we have not as yet heard from you, will be reconsidered and licenses will be issued according to the new procedure. We will continue to submit to London applications for commodities on the statistical embargo lists, which under the new procedure will become nil rations, on the theory that London is relaxing daily on these embargoes, or at least that she should do so. See our 1869.40 In that connection see also Department’s 2089 [3354], December 9[10], our 1815. The matter of increasing the rations for all Northern Neutral countries should be given immediate attention. You have not as yet replied to Dept’s 3470 Dec. 17, 6 p.m. our 1859 in connection with the free list. Until we hear from you, and we should like to be advised immediately, we [Page 770] will not publish as being included in the suggested non-ration list commodities set forth in that cablegram but will include all applications covering the same in the new procedure until we hear from you.