Office of the Historian

840.70/11–2844: Telegram

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

London, November 28, 1944—1 p.m.
[Received November 28—11:10 a.m.]

10492. Following telegram has been received from Paris:

November 25, noon. For Clay and Hooker from Williams. Williams has seen Appleton,98 Napier,99 McCollester,1 Gridley and Mathe, finds no compelling reason for establishment Interim Commission arising out of needs here.

French are making excellent progress in restoring facilities and service. Railway organization being rapidly reconstituted with ample technical personnel. Survey of permanent way and facilities proceeding rapidly. Belief here is that French themselves are most competent to judge needs and prepare requirements. Appleton has arranged to make available McCollester and Gridley, the technical men, when necessary to survey conditions on the ground and give technical advice for screening. The Director General of Military Transportation, the Director General of SNCF,2 representatives of SHAEF, G–5 and G–4 and McCollester and Gridley as economic advisers constitute the Inter-Allied Transportation Committee which is functioning and whose minutes and papers Williams has gone over. Similar organization coming into being in Belgium. Committee deals with operating problems, procurement and decides which lines shall be turned over for civil operations, which shall be retained under military control and which shall be operated jointly. French are very vigorous in making views and needs known. Army is handling spot purchases. Long-term needs will be developed by new French Government Procurement Committee having London and Washington counterparts.

Understand contract for 770 locomotives has been placed and French ready to inquire for 75,000 wagons if long-term credit can be arranged. Some sterling balances are available and French prefer to obtain as much as possible of this in Britain and remainder in U.S. Railway machine tools requirements have been submitted to Washington through Monret and Mathe has a copy Which he will bring to London when he and Levy3 return. These had not be [been] submitted through Appleton and were not known to him.

Napier has no specific arguments for immediate constitution of Interim Commission. He simply has a feeling of urgency and is most concerned about what will be done in Germany. Appleton is opposed to introducing a new organization at this time and fears it would complicate and delay matter. [Williams.]

Winant
  1. Col. J. A. Appleton, Director of Military Railways.↩
  2. Gen. Napier, Chief Transportation Officer of SHAEF.↩
  3. Parker McCollester, special representative of the Foreign Economic Administration in Paris.↩
  4. Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer François.↩
  5. Jean Levy, a member of the French Delegation to the European Inland Transport Conference at London.↩