800.85/249a: Circular telegram
The Acting Secretary of
State to Chiefs of Mission in the
American Republics
Washington
, June 24,
1941—noon.
The United States representative, the Under Secretary of State, today
presented to the special subcommittee of the Inter-American Financial
and Economic Advisory Committee which is studying the question of the
vessels immobilized in ports of the other American republics the
following tentative plan:
- “1) The basic principle of the plan is that the vessels
now lying in American ports shall be utilized in accordance
with the resolution of April 26, 1941 in such a manner as to
promote the defense of the economies of the American
republics as well as the peace and security of the
continent.
- 2) To this end there should be an immediate transfer of
such vessels to active service. Just and adequate
compensation for such vessels shall be made.
- 3) In order to attain the maximum efficiency in the
operation of available shipping, there must be the closest
cooperation among the maritime authorities of the
ship-operating nations of the Western Hemisphere in planning
the most effective use of all available vessels. This
cooperation must extend to the allocation of particular
vessels to the several trade routes; to efficient scheduling
where more than one shipping line serves an individual port
or nation; to the diversion of at least minimum shipping
facilities to those nations not reasonably adequately served
and in which there lie no or not sufficient inactive vessels
to alleviate at least partially the situation; and to the
exchange or interchange among the ship-operating nations of
vessels of various types in order that each may operate the
type of vessels which it is in a position to handle and
which are appropriate to the type of commerce to be
borne.
- 4) It is recognized that several of the American nations
operate merchant marines and are in a position to handle
efficiently the operation of some or all of the inactive
vessels lying in their ports. Other American republics may
not have the appropriate organization to operate ships or
may not desire to undertake to do so. In such cases, the
Government of the United States and United States shipping
companies are prepared, in the closest cooperation and
coordination with services provided by other ship-operating
nations of the Western Hemisphere, to operate for their
account or in any other appropriate way those vessels other
American republics do not operate themselves. The Government
of the United States is also prepared to make appropriate
arrangements to take over and operate any such vessels in
general services.
- 5) The Government of the United States has been informed
that the British Government agrees to recognize the
transfers of vessels resulting from this plan of operation
and to waive its belligerent rights so long as the following
conditions are met:
-
a)
- The vessels transferred are operated in accordance
with this plan.
-
b)
- The vessels are operated under the flag of any
American republic in inter-American trade, or by the
Government of the United States in general services
in accordance with paragraph
-
c)
- Such service of the vessels now inactive shall not
result in the diversion of any other vessels owned
or controlled by Governments or nationals of an
American republic to services inimical to the
interests of Great Britain.
-
d)
- Any funds or proceeds from such vessels shall not
be made available to the governments or nationals of
the countries whose flags they flew until the
present war is terminated.
-
e)
- Crews of the vessels shall be nationals of the
countries whose flag the vessels fly or shall be
comprised of officers and personnel satisfactory to
the Inter-American Financial and Economic Advisory
Committee.
- 6) The Government of the United States is prepared to
render through the Maritime Commission every possible
technical assistance and cooperation to the Governments of
the other American republics.”
The subcommittee is composed of the delegates of the countries in whose
ports such vessels lie. The proposal was well received in the
subcommittee and each delegate was requested to communicate individually
at once with his own Government, asking for comments and
suggestions.