740.00112A EW 1939/6–2744
The Under Secretary of State (Stettinius) to the Foreign Economic Administrator (Crowley)
My Dear Mr. Crowley: Please refer to your letter of June 27 in which you advise that the Foreign Economic Administration is engaged in a fact survey of transfers of Axis enterprises and other assets.10
As you may know, this Department has been interested in and is following the activities of certain individuals who are thought to be actively engaged in assisting the enemy in the particular field covered by your letter under reference.
Mr. Seymour J. Rubin, Assistant Chief of the Division of Financial and Monetary Affairs, has been following the problem of transfers of Axis interests to neutral countries and Mr. J. Daniel Hanley, Assistant Chief, Division of Foreign Activity Correlation, is also engaged in coordinating the reports on this subject insofar as the scope of the work is international. Mr. Hanley is particularly interested in the survey of transfers of Axis enterprises and other assets because of the continuing interest the Division of Foreign Activity Correlation has in the individuals involved.
In answer to the final sentence of your letter under reference, both Mr. Rubin and Mr. Hanley will be glad to cooperate with your representative11 concerning the survey suggested.
Sincerely yours,
- Letter not printed. Mr. Crowley had written a letter of similar purport dated’ May 12 to the Treasury Department. Subsequently, FEA arranged to borrow Mr. Samuel Klaus from the Treasury Department to work on the project.↩
- Ben W. Lewis, Adviser on Economic Organization in the Office of Economic Programs, FEA.↩