Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, General: Economic and Social Matters, Volume II

800.24/12–1944

Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Roosevelt

[Washington,] December 19, 1944.

Further regarding my telegram to you of December 15 on civilian shipping needs for the liberated areas:

Richard Law is here representing the whole British Government, which attaches the greatest importance to this problem. I believe that you and the Prime Minister³⁷ alone can make the major decision involved.

The problem falls into two parts: (1) Collecting and presenting the facts, and (2) presenting the questions raised.

The first entails obtaining the following four statements of requirements for submission to the Combined Shipping Adjustment Board, which would analyze them for you and the Prime Minister.

(1) The shipping necessary to carry out the military decisions reached at Quebec,³⁸ to be supplied by the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

(2) The shipping required by the military authorities to carry out the military civilian supplies program to be supplied through the Combined Chiefs of Staff by the Combined Civil Affairs Committee.

(3) The shipping requirements of the Russian Protocol Program, the British Lend Lease Program, the United States Civilian Supplies Program, and the American Republics Program. The Combined Shipping Adjustment Board has these figures.

(4) The civilian programs of the liberated governments of Northwestern Europe and the UNRRA programs for items and areas not included under (2) above.

For the purpose of your consideration of the over-all problem it is essential that Item (4) should not be excluded.

It is essential that you appoint someone with authority to direct the presentation of this information from the U.S. side to the Combined Shipping Adjustment Board, as Mr. Law proposes to do on the British side, and to state the questions raised and make his recommendation to you. I suggest Harry Hopkins.³⁹

E. R. Stettinius, Jr.

37. Winston S. Churchill.
38. The First Quebec Conference, August 17–24, 1943; for joint statement by Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt, August 24, 1943, see Department of State Bulletin, August 28, 1943, p. 121. Documentation on this Conference is scheduled for publication in a subsequent volume of Foreign Relations.
39. In a memorandum of December 19 the Secretary indicated that President Roosevelt approved this suggestion (800.24/12–1944).