811.20 Defense (M) Turkey/228: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)

965. Your 7045, December 12, 1942,8 and 121, January 5, 1943. The Department and BEW9 have approved the following list of priorities which has also been approved by WPB,10 WSA,11 and British Embassy and BRM.12 This priority list represents the combined views for movement of commodities within and from Turkey. It also combines preemptive and supply interests.

The schedule is intended for use of the British American Coordinating Committee at Ankara and will be sent by us to Ankara as soon as we receive notice from you of approval in London. It is hoped that this approval will reach us promptly in as much as the list has been approved by British authorities here.

The schedule is divided into four categories and each category lists commodities in the order of their importance. The figures representing tonnages are estimates of quantities that are desired on supply grounds.

It was not considered feasible to present a schedule on a monthly basis, as we are unable to forecast the quantities of goods and the facilities which will be available each month.

[Page 1115]

Begin schedule.

Priority Schedule for Shipment of Goods Purchased in Turkey.

(Note To Receiving Operator: The following schedule is divided into four categories each consisting of three columns headed: 1. Destination, 2. Commodity, and 3. Tonnage.)

Destination Commodity Tonnage
first category
U.S. Copper (blister & scrap) All (estimated 5,000 tons)
U.S. & U.K. Emery U.K. 7,000; U.S. 2,500
U.K. Silk and silk waste All (estimated 150 tons)
U.S. & U.K. Nutgalls U.K. 400; U.S. 500
U.K. Opium 25
U.K. Sponges 25
U.S. Chromite (see footnote A for tonnage)
second category
U.K. Flax 600
U.K. Hemp 350
U.K. Valex 600
U.S. Antimony (high grade only) 250
U.K. Dried fruits (see footnote B for tonnage)
U.S. Casings 200
third category
U.K. Hides and skins Undetermined tonnage
U.K., U.S.S.R. & Middle East Vegetable oils, oilseeds, oilcake and nuts Undetermined tonnage
U.K. & U.S.S.R Wool and cotton waste, rags and clippings Mohair, balance of flax and hemp Undetermined tonnage
fourth category
U.S. Nutgalls Remaining tonnage
U.K. Valonia and Valex Remaining tonnage
U.S. Gum tragacanth and traganthon 100
U.S. Gentian 20
U.S. Tobacco 15,000

Footnote A: Chromite. Tonnage involved in purchase of chromite is out of proportion to that of any other commodity purchased in Turkey, and special consideration for this item is necessary.13 Its position in category I indicates its importance and it should be moved as promptly as possible. However, since the tonnage involved may amount to several hundred thousands tons, such movement should [Page 1116] not be to the exclusion of the other commodities covered by this schedule.

Footnote B: Dried fruits. The quantity involved may be as high as 20,000 tons. Special shipping arrangements will probably be made by the Ministry of Food and it should not be regarded that movement of this item should be to the complete exclusion of other supply items on the schedule.

End schedule.

Please inform Royce of USCC14 of this telegram.

Hull
  1. Not printed.
  2. Board of Economic Warfare.
  3. War Production Board.
  4. War Shipping Administration.
  5. British Raw Materials Mission.
  6. For correspondence relating to this subject, see pp. 1150 ff.
  7. United States Commercial Company, a regional overseas purchasing agency of the Board of Economic Warfare.