811.24 Raw Materials/366: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)
1220. Your 2019, October 12.42 The Commodity Credit Corporation agrees to meet the necessary freight charges above normal for delivery of agreement rubber through March.
This Government is concerned regarding the inability of the British rubber buyer43 to secure near rubber without affecting the price. In the same way, American manufacturers are scarcely able to secure sufficient rubber to meet current requirements without putting pressure on the market. There is every indication that they would add at least 100,000 tons to stocks if adequate amounts of rubber were available.
[Page 881]Additional releases for the present quarter seem to be urgently needed. You may wish to raise this issue again with the appropriate British authorities, stressing the experience the British rubber buyer is having and the expectation of this Government that agreement rubber will begin to move promptly, especially in view of the fact that cotton has already begun to move. Furthermore, within your discretion, you may refer to the agreement on the part of the British Government to deliver rubber to the Soviet Union stating that an unfortunate impression will be created here if those deliveries are carried out while deliveries to this Government and purchases by American consumers are impeded by inadequate releases by the International Committee.