Office of the Historian

842.24/245

The President’s Secretary (Early) to the Secretary of State

Washington, August 11, 1943.

Memorandum to the Secretary of State

Dear Mr. Secretary: Attached is a copy of a memorandum the President has received from Mr. Lauchlin Currie.

The President, as the memorandum states, has been asked to approve this proposal.

Before doing this, he has requested me to check the proposal with the Department of State and the Office of the Lend-Lease Administrator.1

I will be grateful to you for any suggestions or comments you care to make.

Stephen Early
[Attachment]

The President’s Administrative Assistant (Currie) to the President 2

Washington, August 3, 1943.

Memorandum for the President

Re: Proposed Joint War Aid Committee, U.S.–Canada.

This proposal has now been formally approved by the Canadian Mutual Aid Board. The following terms of reference proposed by the Canadians will, I am certain, be satisfactory to the American agencies involved: [Page 658]

“There has been instituted a Joint War Aid Committee, U.S.–Canada, to study problems that arise out of the operations of the United States Lend-Lease and the Canadian Mutual Aid programs, and, where necessary, to make recommendations concerning them to the proper authorities”.

If you approve of this proposal I shall be happy to arrange with Steve for simultaneous release of a statement in both countries.

Lauchlin Currie
  1. Early sent a parallel memorandum to Stettinius on the same date.↩

  2. Attached to the ribbon copy of this memorandum in the Roosevelt Papers is the following typed memorandum of August 10, 1943, from Roosevelt to Early: “Will you clear with Lend-Lease and the State Department? If they approve, go ahead with it. F[ranklin] D. R[oosevelt].”

    There is also attached to the file a typed memorandum of August 16, 1943, from Roosevelt to Early, which reads as follows: “Give this to me today. I think I will give out the news of it when I get to Canada. F[ranklin] D. R[oosevelt].” For the press release on this subject issued jointly by Roosevelt and Mackenzie King on August 22, 1943, see post, p. 1119.

    ↩