800.515/780: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 5—7:27 p.m.]
5114. For Secretary of the Treasury from Casaday. Lord Keynes reacted favorably to Dr. White’s letter of July 24.58 He indicated that discussions have been going on among British officials without pause since the close of the currency talks in Washington and stated that within the last few days a formal message has gone to Lord Halifax59 suggesting a series of bilateral discussions between British and American officials to begin not later than September 15. These conferences would discuss not only the postwar currency proposals but [Page 1082] apparently also rates of exchange, reciprocal aid and the implementation of article VII.60 Lord Keynes believed that no reply had been received from the British Embassy in Washington up to yesterday.
Keynes noted Dr. White’s statements concerning the minimum requirements for any currency proposal which would have a chance of legislative sanction. He stated that the British, for similar reasons, would probably also have to adhere to certain minima (mentioned the matter of control of exchange and the question of gold contributions) but he felt sure that the British and American lists of minimum requirements would not prove to be mutually incompatible. He said he himself planned to be present at the series of discussions the British have now proposed and stated that he believed he and Dr. White could reach agreement on most basic points of the currency proposals in a weekend of conversations. Keynes has not yet expressed any reaction to the revised version of the United States proposal as he had not had an opportunity to read it at the time I talked to him. [Casaday.]