561.311F1 Advisory Committee/1076a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in the United Kingdom ( Matthews )
1248. For Appleby9 from Acheson. Your 1355, March 21, 2 a.m.10 The Dutch and the Belgians will be advised as soon as the few remaining points are settled but before public announcement is made.
Viacava states that his Government approves in general the Memorandum of Agreement, provided that (a) Argentina is given a basic quota of 25 percent, (b) the total quantity of relief wheat (see Article VI, paragraph 3) is not specified, and (c) the representatives of the four exporting countries record by means of an exchange of letters the view of their governments that the prices set forth in their memorandum on prices of November 18 are, with reference to conditions prevailing in July 1939, fair and reasonable.
The Canadian representatives plan to return to Washington early next week at which time it will be possible, it is believed, to bring the Meeting to a prompt conclusion.
As proposed by the United Kingdom, the Memorandum of Agreement and the Final Minutes, after they are initialled by the delegates, will be transmitted by this Government to the other four governments for approval. As soon as the approval of the five governments has been notified to each of them, the provisions of the Memorandum will come into effect, and the Memorandum, together with the Draft Convention and Final Minutes, will be made public. Public announcement regarding the results of the Meeting might be made, however, at the conclusion of its final session or shortly thereafter. [Acheson.]
[See Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 384, or 57 Stat. (pt. 2) 1382, for texts of (1) memorandum of agreement between the United States, Argentina, Australia, Canada, and the United [Page 513] Kingdom, initialed April 22, 1942, (2) draft of convention, (3) minutes of the final session of the Washington Wheat Meeting, April 22, 1942, and (4) notes regarding the approval and entry into effect of the memorandum of agreement, April 22–June 27, 1942.
On June 27, 1942, the Department of State sent notifications of approval of the wheat agreement to the participating Governments, and at the same time notified the other interested Governments in accordance with the understanding that such advice would be transmitted prior to the issuance of a press communiqué. (File No. 561.311F1 Advisory Committee/1101a.) The public announcement was released on July 1, 1942; see Department of State Bulletin, July 4, 1942, page 582.
The International Wheat Council, which was immediately established, held its first meeting in Washington, August 3–5, 1942; see ibid., August 1, 1942, page 670, and August 8, 1942, page 688.]