611.626/133: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Wallace)
Washington, March 10,
1920—6 p.m.
505. For Rathbone from War Trade Board.
- Paragraph 1. Recent cablegrams from you have created confusion in our minds with relation to the prices at which commodities delivered under Annex VI will become available to the Allied and Associated countries. Until the receipt of Embassy’s 494, February 17, [Page 490] R–328, it had always been our belief from information received by cablegram and from Herty after his return that all deliveries under paragraphs 1 and 2 from the dyestuff list of August and pharmaceutical list of September, would be at the current rate of exchange. Embassy’s 494, referring to balance of stocks on hand states that the question of exchange has not been discussed nor settled. On the other hand, Embassy’s 584, February 7, R–370,12 states that it was clearly understood between the Allies and the Germans that the credit for all deliveries under the dyestuff list of August 15 was to be made on the basis of the current rate of exchange.
- Paragraph 2. It is impossible for us to advise you of the
extent to which consumers of dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals in
this country will avail themselves of the options until we are
in a position to advise them of the prices at which these
articles may be obtained. Accordingly please notify us
immediately with relation to the following inquiries:
- (a)
- Will the remaining stocks on hand of dyestuffs be made available at the dyestuff list price but at the current rate of exchange?
- (b)
- Will the existing stocks of pharmaceuticals be made available at the pharmaceutical list price but at the current rate of exchange?
- (c)
- Will pharmaceutical products from stocks to be produced be made available at pharmaceutical list price and at current rate of exchange?
- (d)
- With relation to deliveries of dyestuffs from stocks to be produced it is our understanding that German proposal referred to in Embassy’s 324, January 31, 10 p.m. R–277, has been tentatively accepted and that under its terms dyestuffs to be delivered from stocks to be produced will be delivered at their real value without regard to the dyestuff list price or to the current rate of exchange. Please confirm.
Polk
- Not printed.↩