845.24/168b: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Officer in Charge at New Delhi (Merrell)
299. Please convey to Sir Homi Mody92 the following message from Dr. Grady:93 [Page 677]
“Congratulations on the establishment of the War Resources Committee of Council. I believe this to be a long step forward in your program for the intensification of industrial production. In as much as this program is to be based in part on the procurement of Lend-Lease material from the United States and upon the advice of American technicians, whose services have been requested by your Government, it seems desirable to me that an American representative be appointed to coordinate and direct these efforts to assist the Government of India, and I am so recommending to the Department of State. It has further occurred to me that, although the members of the War Resources Committee are undoubtedly the appropriate officials to consider questions of major policies, their other duties may preclude them from devoting their full time and energy to the important task with which they are faced. May I be bold enough to suggest, therefore, that, to perform the actual administrative work involved, a subcommittee be formed to consist of the Secretaries of the five governmental departments represented on your Committee, and that a man be selected as Chairman of that subcommittee who has marked executive ability and broad economic experience such as Jenkins. May I further suggest that if a representative of the United States (as mentioned above) is appointed, he also be made a member of this subcommittee so that the work of the two Governments might be fully coordinated. If you think well of this suggestion, I shall do all that I can to implement it here.”