740.0011 European War 1939/12915

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State

Lord Halifax called to see me this morning.

The Ambassador inquired whether there would be any objection on the part of this Government to a request by the British authorities in the Near East to certain [American] oil experts engaged in the oil industry in the Near East to join the British oil experts in order to advise the Russian authorities as to the best means of destroying Russian oil wells in the event of imminent German occupation of those portions of Russia which include the sources of Russian oil supplies. I replied that I saw no objection.

S[umner] W[elles]