800.24/12–844: Circular telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Caffery)31

The Department has been informed32 of the extremely stringent shipping shortage which will exist during the next few months as a necessary result of continued full-scale military operations. Accordingly the Department believes it necessary to warn certain Chiefs of Mission that civilian shipping programs throughout all areas will be curtailed to an absolute minimum. There can be no certainty of maintaining even presently formulated programs of civilian supplies to the Mediterranean Areas and the Middle East. Even if port facilities and internal transport for the liberated areas of northwestern Europe are available, ocean transport will not be available for civilian supplies in this and other theatres except to the extent that theatre commanders are prepared to load them in competition with military supplies.

The bottleneck of shipping cannot be accurately estimated except on a month-to-month basis after all estimates of civilian requirements are at hand for the succeeding period. The Department will endeavor to ensure that the civilian supplies actually shipped are distributed to and within each area on an equitable basis. Further information regarding the machinery and procedure within the Department for dealing with this problem will be telegraphed to you shortly. [Page 324] Pending improvement in the situation, no encouragement should be offered with respect to the over-all supply and shipping situation. On the contrary, as occasions arise, you should impart to important officials in the Government to which you are accredited a recognition of the strain placed on shipping by full-scale offensives. The foregoing information is intended to color your thoughts and conversations. It should not be taken as the basis for any specific or formal statement. Inform McCollester.33

Stettinius
  1. Sent also to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union; repeated to the Chiefs of Mission at Algiers, London, Rome, Athens, Ankara, Cairo, New Delhi, Chungking, and Canberra.
  2. By a memorandum from the Commanding General of the Army Service Forces (Somervell), October 24, not printed.
  3. Parker McCollester, Special Representative of the Foreign Economic Administration.