800.51W89 Great Britain/404
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (Bundy)
For the Secretary. The British Ambassador called to ask (1) Whether we thought it would be advisable for him to get in touch with Professor Moley and Mr. Tugwell, as representatives of the new Administration. I said that the Secretary and I both felt clearly that [Page 831] this should not be done; (2) The Ambassador asked whether there was any representative of the new Administration authorized to deal directly with the British in London. I stated that we had no knowledge of such a representative and I warned the Ambassador that I felt it very advisable to confirm the authority of anyone purporting to act for the new Administration; (3) The Ambassador asked whether in the Communique issued by the President and Mr. Roosevelt the word “representative” in respect to debts, and “representatives” in respect to economic subjects had been used intentionally. I said I thought the use had been intentional and indicated the preference of Mr. Roosevelt for an individual to deal with the debts rather than a group or commission; (4) The Ambassador asked whether the discussion “economic subjects” would include political subjects like disarmament and China. I said I could not speak definitely but in so far as I had discussed the matter there had been no indication from the representatives of the new Administration that any broader scope was intended than economic subjects in a general sense, such as those subjects now comprised in the Economic Conference.10