800.24/981: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Winant )
3768. The question has arisen whether the supply of military goods to independent countries in the Near Eastern area is a British responsibility and whether the officials of the Governments of those countries should approach American officials directly in regard to such matters. Among other circumstances giving rise to this question the following developments have occurred:
In response to an inquiry from the Saudi Arabian Government whether there would be any British objection to a request to this Government for Lend-Lease arms, the British Chargé d’Affaires at Jidda replied, upon instruction from London, that such a request should be taken up through the British Legation at Jidda or the Saudi Arabian Legation at London. Recently the British Embassy at Cairo informed the American Legation there of its intention to transmit a note to the Egyptian Government stating that requests for “warlike and other stores” from abroad should be made through and acted upon by the British military authorities there and asked the Legation to transmit a similar note to the Egyptian Government.
You should inform the appropriate British authorities that it is the policy of this Government to receive direct inquiries from the appropriate officials of independent Near Eastern countries (except Turkey for which a special exception has been made) regarding the availability of American military supplies to meet their needs, and that such supplies will be furnished to them if it is feasible to do so. In communicating this information to the British authorities you should state that, in accordance with established procedure, finished [Page 5] munitions are assigned by the Munitions Assignment Board, on which the British are represented.
The Legations at Jidda and Cairo have been instructed11 (without reference to the special arrangement affecting Turkey) to make this policy known to the British Legation and Embassy respectively in those places and to appropriate Saudi Arabian and Egyptian authorities, as well as to the Greek authorities, if at any time this question should arise with respect to Greece. Baghdad and Tehran also have been advised of this policy in the event that questions relating thereto should arise in Iraq or Iran.
For your confidential information it is stated that Admiral Leahy, on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has expressed approval of this policy, and that the War and Navy Departments have been advised thereof.