Office of the Historian

Hopkins Papers

The Chief of the Materials Division, Office of Production Management (Batt), to the President

Washington, January 8, 1942.

My Dear Mr. President: In accordance with your letter of December 171 which suggested the desirability of a working conference on raw materials of the world, I have brought together the representatives named in your letter. With the consent of Mr. Hopkins, a member of the Maritime Commission was added to this group. A tentative organization chart is attached.2

Two meetings have been held—one with Lord Beaverbrook to clear up the ground for the joint conference group.3 On his part, Lord Beaverbrook has appointed Sir Clive Baillieu to act as permanent representative for the British. Lord Beaverbrook has informed me of his intention to send additional representatives shortly to sit with Sir Clive.

It has seemed natural to us to use the already existing Canadian Raw Materials Coordinating Committee as a means of securing Canadian representation on this conference.4

Work has already been begun with British and Canadian representatives, in conjunction with American representatives, through a Joint Secretariat. Some of the most important materials, particularly those that have been lost or endangered by Japanese action, have already been subjected to a preliminary review and recommendations are being formulated for the consideration of the conference.

In most cases, the facts assembled by the Joint Secretariat will clearly indicate the action required. Wherever this is not the case, the alternatives will be stated for final recommendation5 by the Joint Conference, and decision5 by SPAB or other appropriate agency for [Page 348] the United States Government, the Ministry of Supply for the British Government, and the appropriate agency of any other governments concerned.

In the case of tin, as an example, one conclusion is already indicated from the studies the Joint Secretariat has made, namely that the capacity of the Texas City tin smelter should immediately be increased to a minimum of 50,000 tons a year. This is needed to take care of the redistribution of ores which will be necessitated by the loss of East Indian smelting and ore resources. If this recommendation is approved by the Conference, the matter will be taken up directly with the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

A somewhat different instance occurs in the case of hemp and sisal. Here it appears that it may be necessary for us to supply the United Kingdom with quantities of hemp during the next two years, and receive from them comparable amounts of sisal, in order that the supply positions may be balanced over the next three years. If this recommendation is accepted by the Conference, SPAB will be requested to make the necessary policy decision for the United States Government, and the Ministry of Supply for the British Government.

I have discussed our relation with SPAB and the Economic Warfare Board with the Vice President, and I believe he agrees that the relationship described above is the best practicable one between the agencies working in the raw materials field.

In all our recommendations, we shall think of the world’s available raw materials as a joint pool, to be allocated to the United Nations according to where they can best be used for the joint effort.

I attach a tentative organization chart6 which, you will note, includes a cargo clearance committee. This committee was agreed in principle by both the British and American representatives to be an essential implementing agency of the conference. A memorandum on the subject is inclosed.6

I hope the actions which have been taken are in accord with your wishes and have your approval.

Sincerely yours,

W. L. Batt

Copy to Mr. Harry Hopkins7

  1. Ante, p. 19.↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. No records of these meetings have been found.↩
  4. For the establishment and operations of the Canadian-American Materials Coordinating Committee, see Industrial Mobilization for War, p. 125.↩
  5. Underscored in source text.↩
  6. Underscored in source text.↩
  7. Not printed.↩
  8. Not printed.↩

  9. In transmitting this copy to Hopkins on January 8, Batt wrote:

    “If the President and you approve what is proposed, I think it would be most useful if he would give it a build-up at an early Press Conference.

    “As we see it, the outlook for this is tremendously impressive.” (Hopkins Papers)

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