800.51W89 Belgium/223

Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Castle)

The Belgian Ambassador came to see me this morning to say that the papers appeared to have made it quite clear that the decision at the White House Conference on Friday was that any debtor nation might approach this Government for a discussion of the debt, that whether or not it had made the December payment did not enter the question. He wanted to know whether this was a fact.

I told him that the communiqué42 had mentioned only Great Britain, that, so far as I knew, there was no change in the stand of the Administration as to discussions with those nations which have not made the December payment, that, of course, I could not in any way speak for Mr. Roosevelt as to what he might decide to do after the 4th of March. I told him, furthermore, that I had not discussed the matter with the Secretary as I had been in New York and that I could not, therefore, answer his question. He said that his Government was very anxious to know.

He told me that Mr. Krock of the New York Times had told him definitely at dinner last night that the matter was not open for discussion, that if he should go to the Secretary this morning and ask whether Belgium might send over a commission to discuss the debt, the Secretary would be just as glad to see him and to open discussions [Page 848] as he was with the British. I told the Ambassador I could make no comment on what Mr. Krock had told him. He asked me if I could find out for him what the truth was. I told him I was going away at noon, that I very likely should not see the Secretary before leaving and that if he did not hear from me, he would have to ask the Secretary himself.

W. R. Castle, Jr.

After talking with the Secretary I telephoned the Belgian Ambassador that the situation was unchanged, that there was no thought of discussions with the nations which had not paid, that, although we could not speak for the new Administration, it was clear that there could be no discussions with those who had not paid until after the matter had been explored with all those nations which have paid.

W. R. Castle, Jr.
  1. The press release issued by the White House, January 20, p. 827.