811.20 Defense (M)/236: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in France ( Matthews )
341. Your 336, August 15 noon. The Chinese Government has requested that its contract for the sale of wolfram and antimony to this Government be modified so as to release it from responsibility of delivering the wolfram and antimony included in the Selenga cargo. This Government feels that under the circumstances it has no choice but to grant this request.
The Chinese Government expects to supply this Government with 1200 tons of wolfram shipped from China as a replacement for the wolfram included in the Selenga cargo. In closing the Selenga case with the French authorities you are requested, within your discretion, to refer to the intention of the Chinese Government to make this replacement and to request that assurances be given by the Government at Vichy as well as by the Government of Indochina that such replacements may be shipped over the Yunnan Railroad to Haiphong and may be exported from Haiphong to the United States without interference or restriction on the part of the Indochinese Government.