550.AD1/145a

The Secretary of State to Certain Chiefs of Mission 22

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to Their Excellencies and Messieurs, the Chiefs of Mission, and has the honor to refer to the invitations which have been extended on behalf of the President of the United States to the Governments of the United Nations and of the nations associated with them in the war to participate in a United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture soon to be held in the United States.

The respective diplomatic missions and consular establishments of this Government are being instructed by telegraph to inform the invited Governments that the meeting has been postponed and now will convene on May 18, 1943 instead of April 27, 1943 as indicated in the original invitations.

The President has approved the designation of the following delegates to represent the United States at the Conference:

  • The Honorable Marvin Jones, Judge of the United States Court of Claims and Assistant to the Director of Economic Stabilization; Chairman.
  • The Honorable Paul H. Appleby, Under Secretary of Agriculture.
  • The Honorable W. L. Clayton, Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
  • Surgeon General Thomas Parran, United States Public Health Service.
  • Mr. Murray D. Lincoln, Executive Secretary of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

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The delegates will be accompanied by a few advisers who are especially qualified in their respective technical fields.

The Conference will be held at Hot Springs, Virginia, which is situated approximately 290 miles from Washington. Arrangements have been made to have the exclusive use of The Homestead at Hot Springs for the Conference. Adequate facilities are available at the hotel for the comfortable housing of the delegates and for the necessary meeting rooms and offices for the Conference. Special rates have been arranged for the delegations.

This Government hopes that the discussions may be as informal as possible and that detailed work of the meeting may be accomplished in technical sections or committees. There will be the customary opening and closing public plenary sessions but it would appear that the technical sections and committees may find it more feasible to consider the various topics in executive session. Although the duration of the Conference will be determined, of course, by the participating delegations in the light of the progress of the discussions, it would seem at this juncture that the Conference may be in session for a period of approximately two weeks.

In view of the fact that this will be a technical war-time meeting, it is felt that only a minimum of social entertainment would be appropriate. In this connection, the limitations on transportation facilities undoubtedly will impose serious restrictions upon the wardrobes of members of delegations traveling to the United States for the Conference, and it is believed, therefore, that business suits will be adequate for all occasions. In view of the difficulties of war-time travel, it is not contemplated that the delegates will be accompanied by wives or other members of their families.

The foregoing information and observations are being communicated to the invited Governments through the diplomatic representatives of this Government abroad.23

In accordance with international practice, the Government of the United States will be responsible for the temporary organization of the Conference and for the establishment of the Conference Secretariat which will function under the direction of the Secretary General. The Secretariat has been installed temporarily in the Department of State under the supervision of Dr. Warren Kelchner, Chief of the Division of International Conferences. General information concerning the arrangements for the meeting, travel facilities, reservations, et cetera, may be obtained by addressing the Secretariat, in care of the Department of State; telephone Republic 5600, extension 720 or extension 2129.

Mr. Hull will greatly appreciate the courtesy of Their Excellencies and Messieurs, the Chiefs of Mission, in informing the Conference [Page 833] Secretariat as promptly as possible of the names and titles of all delegation members as well as the ports of entry and anticipated dates of arrival of those who will travel to the United States to attend the Conference. The Department of State and the Secretariat of the Conference will be very glad to arrange for the reservations at the headquarters hotel for the delegation members.

  1. Delivered April 10, 1943, to the diplomatic representatives in Washington of the countries invited to the Conference, except Ethiopia, India, the Philippine Commonwealth, and Liberia.
  2. By circular telegram, April 9, 1943, 6 p.m.; not printed.