883.24/163: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Egypt ( Kirk )
746. Your 647, April 5, 10 a.m. You should inform the British Embassy and make known to the appropriate Egyptian authorities that it is the policy of this Government to receive direct inquiries from the appropriate Egyptian officials 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.9
If similar inquiries are made by the Greek authorities10 regarding the attitude of this Government with respect to such matters you may advise them in the same sense.
In communicating this information to the British Embassy you should state that, in accordance with established procedure, finished munitions are assigned by the Munitions Assignments Board on which the British are represented.
[Page 72]You may keep General Spalding11 advised of the steps you take in accordance with the foregoing, adding that the War Department is being advised of the present instruction and stating for his confidential information that Admiral Leahy,12 on behalf of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff, has expressed approval thereof.
- For correspondence regarding the policy of the United States to deal directly with independent governments of the Near East with respect to furnishing military supplies, see pp. 1 ff.↩
- Mr. Kirk was concurrently Ambassador to the Greek Government in Exile established at Cairo.↩
- Brig. Gen. Sidney Spalding of the War Department, then in the Near East.↩
- Adm. William D. Leahy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.↩