800.796/814
The Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation (Clark) and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce (Bailey), to the Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: You will find herein attached a clipping from the New York Times for Thursday, May 11th,9 being an Associated Press dispatch from London which has been reprinted in the Congressional Record. The contents of this dispatch have given considerable concern to many Senators and especially those who constitute the Subcommittee on Aviation, being a Subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce.
It is not necessary to repeat the contents of the press report, but your attention is called to the fact that Lord Beaverbrook, speaking in an official capacity and with reference to the conference attended by your Assistant Secretary, the Honorable Adolf A. Berle, Jr., stated that he was favorable to what he referred to as the “American Plan” respecting post-war international aviation. He went on to describe the “American Plan” as one “to curtail competition, based more along the lines of the Four Freedoms of the air—the right to fly, to land, to set down passengers, mail and cargo, and to pick them up anywhere in the world.”
We have been in frequent conference with Mr. Berle and we did not gather that an American Plan had been determined, and certainly we did not gather that the plan would include any right of air transportation organizations of nations to set down passengers, mail and cargo anywhere in the world.
In view of the impression created by Lord Beaverbrook’s statement, the Subcommittee feels it should have more information. We desire a full report of Lord Beaverbrook’s statement, and if the State Department is prepared to give us a statement of its views in the premises we would greatly appreciate it.
I may say to you that the Subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce has been working with great diligence upon studies with a view to framing or making a contribution to framing an air policy from the standpoint of Congress. We hope to prepare a report in due time and we will be glad to submit at any time the data we have gathered and copy of the hearings. We wish to cooperate with the State Department and we are happy to say that so far we have had [Page 474] no reason to complain in this matter. Mr. Berle has been quite considerate and our conferences with him have been of a character tending to make for the best relations.
With every good wish and with great respect,
Very truly yours,
Josiah W. Bailey
- Not reprinted; it reported the substance of Lord Beaverbrook’s speech in the House of Lords on May 10.↩