Office of the Historian

840.50/11–2844: Telegram

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

London, November 28, 1944—7 p.m.
[Received November 28—6:01 p.m.]

10497. From Hawkins for Haley. Last night we discussed with Liesching15 and Shackle16 the status of the Article VII work and have made arrangements for talks with the principal officials concerned with the UK preparatory work. We hope by the middle of next week to be able to give you some indication of the direction of UK thinking and particularly of points that need special consideration in formulating the position that our delegation will take when it comes here to resume the Article VII talks. We touched upon the question of the so-called multilateral-bilateral approach to the reduction of trade barriers. Liesching said that so far as he knew there has been no change in the British attitude, which was one of opposition to this method. He also mentioned in passing the technical and negotiating difficulties of the comprehensive multilateral approach. [Hawkins.]

Winant

[A statement by Assistant Secretary of State Acheson before the Subcommittee on Foreign Trade and Shipping of the Special Committee of the House of Representatives on Post-War Economic Policy and Planning, November 30, 1944, is printed in Department of State Bulletin, December 3, 1944, page 656.]

  1. Percivale Liesching, of the British Board of Trade.↩
  2. R. J. Shackle, Principal Assistant Secretary, British Board of Trade.↩