I am informed that your Excellency has been authorized by his Government in
London to give approval to the proposed agreement which it is noted has been
signed by the following officials of our two Governments:
It will be understood by the Government of the United States that, on the
receipt by the Department of State of a note from your Excellency expressing
the concurrence of the Government of the United Kingdom in the agreement as
set forth in the enclosures the agreement will be regarded as having become
effective.
[Enclosure 2]
[Washington,] June 2, 1944.
Supplement to “Memorandum of Principles to be
proposed jointly and forthwith by U.S. Government and United Kingdom Government to the Governments of the
Maritime Nations having reference to the continuance of co-ordinated
control of Merchant Shipping” of May 31, 1944
The following paragraphs record the understanding reached between the
United States and United Kingdom Governments as to the organizations of
the central authority proposed in paragraph 7 of the Memorandum of
Principles, and its relation with existing agencies and the Combined
Shipping Adjustment Boards:
1. Combined Shipping Adjustment Boards must remain Anglo-American, for
co-ordination of Anglo-American policy and action. The new organization
for securing the cooperation of other maritime powers should not disturb
or affect the effective Anglo-U.S. cooperation established through the
C.S.A.B.’s.
2. We must give the important shipping Allies a definite place in the
proposed central authority but it is not contemplated that the
organization of the central authority will start to function until the
existing charter arrangements run out or are terminated prior to
expiration by agreement; i.e., at or shortly after termination of
European hostilities. However, it is important that a general agreement
on principles and modus operandi be reached
between the Governments concerned as promptly as possible.
3. The new central authority will not need, and should not be allowed to
develop any elaborate organization of its own. It must work through
established machinery and procedures of W.S.A. and M.W.T. and through
their connections with Chiefs of Staff, Combined [Page 656] Boards, and other demanding agencies.
The rough chart attached19 indicates the method of co-ordinating the new
authority with Combined Shipping Adjustment Boards and U.S. and British
shipping agencies.
4. The discussions with other Governments on the proposed principles will
take place “under the auspices of C.S.A. Boards to establish suitable
machinery for shipping control to meet the new circumstances when the
existing time chartering agreements expire.”
5. The central authority would be constituted as follows:
(a) A Council representative of all participating
Governments, meeting as often as might be necessary but having no
executive function.
(b) An Executive Board will be established with
Branches in Washington and London respectively, under W.S.A. and M.W.T.
chairmanship respectively. Those Governments which can qualify for a
special position in the central authority by reason of their large
contribution of shipping normally engaged in international trade (i.e.
U.S., U.K., Norway, Holland) should be represented on the Executive
Board. The Executive Board will exercise through its Branches the
executive functions of the central authority.
The division of day to day responsibility between the two Branches of the
Board will be established as convenient from time to time, (on the basis
now arranged between the Combined Shipping Adjustment Boards). So that
the two Branches of the Executive Board may work in unison, meetings of
the Board as a whole will be arranged at the instance of the two
chairmen, as often as may be necessary, and at such place as may be
convenient from time to time.
Each Government not represented on the Board may be represented by
liaison officers (or Missions) who will be called into consultation by
the Board or its Branches on matters affecting ships under the authority
of that Government, or on matters affecting the supply of ships for the
territory under the authority of that Government.
The Executive Board and its Branches will proceed by agreement among the
members. There will be no voting.
The decisions of the Executive Board affecting the ships under the
authority of any particular country would be reached with the consent of
the Government of that country, acting through their representatives on
the Board or through the accredited liaison officers or missions.
(c) Anglo-American policy on the Executive Board
will be coordinated through the Combined Shipping Adjustment Boards, and
the contacts between the two shipping administrations, and by meetings
of the chairmen of the two Branches of the Board, as may be
necessary.
(d) The Executive Board would carry out through
its Branches the functions assigned to the central authority in
paragraphs 7 and 9 of the “Memorandum of Principles.”
(e) There would be organisation at staff or
secretarial level under each Branch of the Board to deal with planning
and execution of such matters as programming and requirements;
allocation of ships [Page 657] to
employment; freight and chartering policy. These organisations would be
staffed by officers of the WSA and MWT respectively who are engaged
currently in handling the same matters in their respective
administrations; and to them would be added appropriate representatives
from the other Governments represented on the Executive Board.
- E. S. Land
-
Granville Conway20
-
Richard M. Bissell, Jr.21
-
Dudley B. Donald22
-
Huntington T. Morse
-
John S. Maclay
- W. G. Weston
