800.24/1474a
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Halifax)
Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of December 24, 1943, in further regard to proposed conversations between officials of the American and British Governments concerning the Middle East.
This Government is glad to observe that the British Government concurs in the view expressed in the Department’s aide-mémoire of November 29, that it would be desirable to include Turkey, Egypt and Ethiopia in the conversations. It is also pleased to note that the British Government will prepare a list of points for discussion.
[Page 17]It thus appears that the only preliminary point remaining to be settled is whether it would be more practicable to hold the conversations in Washington or in London.
The British Government expresses the desire to have the conversations take place wherever they can most usefully be held. The British Government, however, considers it most desirable that consideration should be given to these problems in London in view of the close interests and special responsibilities which the British Government has in the Middle East, and the experience and specialized knowledge which could be made available in London. For these reasons, the British Government hopes that the United States Government will feel able to agree that the exchange of views should take place in London, and concludes by saying that any representatives who may be sent on behalf of the United States Government will be warmly welcomed.
The Government of the United States believes that the proposed conversations will prove highly valuable wherever they may be held, and sincerely appreciates the assurance that its representatives would be warmly received in London. From this Government’s point of view, the factor of practicability under wartime conditions is the determining one in considering the question of a meeting place.
The close interest which the British Government has in the Middle East, and its special responsibilities in that area are fully realized by this Government. The fact that this interest and these responsibilities have long existed has quite naturally resulted in the accumulation of a large fund of knowledge and experience on the part of substantial numbers of British officials. This Government, on the other hand, has but a limited number of officials who are conversant with Middle Eastern affairs, and their time and energies are now most heavily taxed in dealing with matters which are bound up with the war effort. At the present time, there is no member of the staff of the American Embassy at London who has had service in the Middle East. In consequence, if the conversations were held in London, it would be necessary, for the adequate representation of this Government, to send several officials from Washington. It would hardly be possible for the officials who remained in Washington to cope with the pressure of urgent war work.
It has been noted, on the other hand, that on the staff of the British Embassy at Washington there are now some seven officials who have had service in the Near East or are experts in Near Eastern problems, in addition to a substantial number of other British officials in Washington who are working currently with American officials on Middle Eastern Supply Center and other economic, as well as financial, problems.
[Page 18]It has thus appeared to this Government that transport facilities would be saved if the discussions were to be held in Washington. Moreover, and perhaps of more importance, the British Government, due to its long and close association with the Middle East, has available in Washington a body of officials whose previous service in that area would permit them to play a valuable part in the conversations, and thus permit this Government’s limited staff of officials having Middle Eastern experience to devote, during the period of the conversations, the minimum time and effort required on their part to discharge this Government’s wartime responsibilities in the Middle East.
The British Government, it is assumed, would desire to have one or more officials proceed to Washington to direct the British part in the discussions and they would, it goes without saying, be warmly welcomed by the Government of the United States.
In view of those considerations, the United States Government sincerely hopes that the British Government will feel able to meet its wishes regarding the locale of the proposed conversations.
Accept [etc.]
[Mr. Wallace Murray, Director of the Office of Near Eastern and African Affairs, was a member of a Commission headed by Under Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., which held discussions with British officials in London, April 7–29, 1944. Near East topics were discussed at that time.]