Hopkins Papers
The British Minister of Supply (Beaverbrook) to the President’s Special Assistant (Hopkins)
My Dear Harry, I spent the afternoon in the Vice-President’s office.1
The conference went very well, I thought. The sights were raised immensely, but not nearly high enough.
At 35,000 tanks, the programme is far from meeting the necessities of the United States and Bussia.
On the aircraft programme, I fear the meeting was somewhat confused and indecisive.
Lovett put forward his estimates in gross totals which included trainers.
He stated his production to the middle months of 1943. The discussion did not get back to the operational requirements of 1942.
Now I have been 18 months on the job of stirring men up to do more production.
If Britain had not taken the task seriously in the summer of 1940, the war would have been ended.
France fell for the want of adequate supplies of tanks and aircraft.
America cannot stand on the programmes of 1942.
Is there anything more I can do?
Yours ever,