855A.24/29: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 20—1:26 a.m.]
2798. 1. The following is text of a self-explanatory letter which Foreign Office desires to send to Mr. Spaak, Belgian Secretary of State.
“In connection with the agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom and the Belgian Government relating to the Belgian Congo in respect of the purchase of commodities, which has been signed in London today, Your Excellency has asked for an assurance that the requirements of the Belgian Congo for equipment and other supplies essential to the maintenance and increase of production would be met.
2. I am glad to be able to give Your Excellency an assurance that His Majesty’s Government in conjunction with the United States Government will make every effort, consistent with the restrictions and limitations imposed by the united war effort, to meet the requirements of the Belgian Congo for the purposes specified.”
Foreign Office has inquired whether United States Government have any objection to reference to United States of America in above paragraph 2. The Department will recall the joint memorandum (Embassy’s telegram 2671 [2670], May 15)10 which was delivered to the Dutch and Belgian [Norwegian] representatives on May 14 with respect to post-war relief purchases. It seems likely that there will be a considerable number of instances in the future when the consent of this Embassy and the Biddle mission will be sought in connection with further joint communications addressed to the various Allied Governments.
It would therefore be helpful to know the Department’s viewpoint with respect to the general policy involved, i. e., whether the joint approach to these Allied Governments as expressed in the above letter may be continued in those instances where they reflect American policy or whether it would be preferable, where a joint approach is desirable, for the mission to address a parallel communication to the Allied Government concerned stating that United States Government is in accord with the viewpoint advanced in His Majesty’s Government’s note or memorandum et cetera.
3. Other than exceptional cases, I am inclined to opinion that a parallel rather than joint approach would be preferable procedure and Ambassador Biddle concurs.
- Not printed.↩