103.9164: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 5—10:31 p.m.]
8367. To Land for Conway and Morse from Reed by Chubb. Following long discussions with British today in which Meyer and Humphrey participated the following paper as to machinery was tentatively approved for submission to the Planning Committee: [Page 713]
[“]It is contemplated that specific trades or areas will be allotted to the Washington and London branches respectively for the purposes of discharging the functions of UMEB in connection with tanker allocations. It is further contemplated that within each of these branches the organization for dealing with tanker allocations will be as follows:
- (A)
- A tanker allocations committee of the branch to be composed of representatives of the four members of the UMEB; representatives of the associate members of the UMEB shall be entitled to participate in discussions affecting the interests of their governments in accordance with paragraphs 8 and 10 of the Annex to the Agreement on Principles.
- (B)
- Secretariat of the tanker allocations committee. Preparation of necessary data and any necessary executive action will be carried out on behalf of the secretariat of the tanker allocations committee by the appropriate administrative machinery of the WSA or the MWT.
2. Under this organization it is contemplated that the following procedure will prevail:
- (I)
- UMEB will receive through the shipping authorities of one or more contracting governments from the appropriate governmental or inter-governmental bodies semi-annually or at such other periods as may prove convenient statements of the requirements of tanker tonnage to meet the needs of the United Nations and to fulfill the purposes of the Agreement on Principles. These statements will include requirements of tankers for other liquid cargoes as well as petroleum products.
- (II)
- The tanker allocations committees will establish an overall layout of available tanker tonnage to meet the requirements so stated for suitable short periods ahead.
- (III)
- The tanker allocations committees may delegate to the secretariats in consultation with the contracting governments concerned the responsibility of day-to-day allocations of specific vessels. Such delegation shall be designed to permit flexibility in the carrying out of such programmes on a basis consistent with the maximum efficient utilization of available tanker tonnage.
- (IV)
- The tanker allocations committees acting through their secretariats shall maintain liaison with the appropriate military and naval authorities in order to ensure full provision for war needs.”
This will be preceded by a preamble setting forth the general problems involved in coordinating supply with tanker allocation and explaining the necessity of different procedure on tankers than dry cargo vessels.
Barring unforeseen difficulties we anticipate concluding Planning Committee meetings this weekend and returning promptly. [Reed.]