Office of the Historian

840.50/3411a

The Secretary of State to President Roosevelt

Washington, December 20, 1943.

Memorandum for the President: You will recall that confidential exploratory conversations were recently held between British and American officials in the field covered by Article VII of the mutual-aid agreement, with a view to reaching agreement on an orderly agenda for future discussions of a more definitive character.

It would be distinctly advantageous to have a similar interchange of ideas with Canadian officials and I plan to extend an invitation to the Canadian Government to send appropriate officials to Washington in the near future.37 The procedure followed with the British officials was to hold conversations on monetary and investment policy in the Treasury Department, while simultaneously proceeding in the State Department with conversations on commercial policy, the regulation of primary products, and related subjects. It is proposed to confine, at this time, the conversations with Canadian officials to the latter group of subjects.

As it will be desirable to obtain the tentative reactions of Canadian officials to the general ideas which emerged from the conversations with British officials for the formulation of an orderly agenda for the implementation of Article VII of the mutual-aid agreements, it is my intention to ask Mr. Myron C. Taylor also to carry on the discussions with the Canadian officials, with the assistance of the same officers of this Government who collaborated with him during the recent conversations with British officials. It is also my intention to follow the practice adopted during the conversations with British officials of inviting, from time to time, other American officials to participate in the discussions as they touch on subjects on which they are particularly well informed.

The following American officials are those who would again assist Mr. Taylor throughout the conversations:

  • State Department
    • Leo Pasvolsky, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State
    • Harry C. Hawkins, Chief, Division of Commercial Policy and Agreements
    • Leroy D. Stinebower, Chief, Division of Economic Studies
    • John D. Hickerson, Assistant Chief, Division of European Affairs
  • Treasury Department
    • Harry D. White, Assistant to the Secretary and Director, Division of Monetary Research
  • Commerce Department
    • Will Clayton, Assistant Secretary
    • Amos E. Taylor, Director, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
  • Department of Agriculture
    • Paul Appleby, Under Secretary
    • Leslie A. Wheeler, Director, Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations
  • Tariff Commission
    • Oscar B. Ryder, Chairman
    • Lynn R. Edminster, Vice Chairman

As mentioned in my memorandum to you of September 7, 1943, I have advised the Governments of Soviet Russia and China of our readiness to enter into similar conversations with representatives of those Governments, respectively. Also it is not unlikely that it may become advisable to have such exploratory conversations with officials of other Governments. The procedure, outlined above, contemplated for the exploratory conversations with Canadian officials on commercial policy, the regulation of primary products, and related subjects would likewise be followed in similar conversations with representatives of other Governments.

I should appreciate being informed whether the foregoing meets with your approval.

C[ordell] H[ull]
  1. Note to the Canadian Legation dated December 20, 1943, not printed.↩