Office of the Historian

840.50/9–2244: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, September 22, 1944—10 a.m.
[Received September 22—9:10 a.m.]

7857. For Acheson,8 Taft9 and Hawkins10 from Mitchell and Jackson.11

(1)
It seems urgent to press for prompt action in setting up the proposed European Economic Commission along lines of recent communications with British in Washington. SHAEF12 has cabled Combined Chiefs (cannot give you reference number due to present communications difficulty) pointing out the almost insuperable difficulties in its trying to handle problems involving the application of surpluses in one continental ally against needs of deficit countries when such problems are not essentially incident to military operations. For example, it is believed that there will be substantial surpluses of dairy and meat products in Denmark which, if they were distributed in Continental Europe, would lessen overseas imports to the Continent, but unless some action is taken, may well be sold for UK consumption with the result of increasing still further the present disparity between the food standards in the UK and the Continent. Similar problem may arise in connection with Norwegian fish. SHAEF has suggested that these problems should be considered as outside its scope.
(2)
There seems to be general agreement among US representatives here that an organization like the proposed commission would [Page 622] be most useful and that the need for it exists now. The centralization of Western European matters in London is already ended to a considerable degree. The French and Belgian Governments are in their respective countries as well as the corresponding country desks of SHAEF. The Dutch Government and SHAEF country desk are on the Continent and about to move into the Netherlands. Consequently, a means of providing a central consultative mechanism becomes increasingly necessary.
(3)
It likewise appears urgent that the designation of economic representatives for Western European countries be made at the earliest moment. SHAEF is apparently anxious to have civilian assistance with its country desks and the sooner the Department makes personnel available the better. General Scowden13 points out that in many cases the provision of non-military supplies during the military period may have political as well as economic implications and he would like to look to our Embassies for guidance.

[Here follows paragraph on personnel assignments.]

Winant
  1. Dean G. Acheson, Assistant Secretary of State.↩
  2. Charles P. Taft, Director of the Office of Wartime Economic Affairs.↩
  3. Harry C. Hawkins, who served as Director of the Office of Economic Affairs from January 15 until September 12, 1944, at which time he was named Counselor of Embassy for Economic Affairs at London.↩
  4. Sidney Mitchell, Chief of Liberated Areas Division, and Wayne G. Jackson, Adviser, Supply and Resources Division, who had been instructed early in September to proceed to Europe to confer with military and civilian officials in regard to current supply and other economic problems and in regard to administrative relationships.↩
  5. Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force.↩
  6. With SHAEF, G–5, at Paris, to provide civil affairs supplies to France.↩