Office of the Historian

800.6176/483½

The Commercial Secretary of the British Embassy (Jopson) to the Director of the Office of Economic Affairs (Hawkins)

No. W.45/25
Washington, May 1, 1944.

Dear Harry: Mr. Haley and I had a talk on the telephone about the statement quoted in my letter to you of April 26th which it was proposed should be incorporated in the communiqué about the dissolution of the International Rubber Regulation Committee. He told me that you were somewhat apprehensive lest the words “satisfactory progress” should be interpreted by your industry as an indication that negotiations had been going on prior to the meeting which is to be held tomorrow. I suggested two compromises: either that the phrase should be amended to read “negotiations to that end are in progress and it is hoped will be brought to a satisfactory conclusion” or that the text should be allowed to stand with the omission of the word “satisfactory”. I informed the Foreign Office by telegraph that you preferred the former but would accept the latter, though somewhat reluctantly. I have this morning received a telegram from the Foreign Office saying that they have adopted the first alternative and requesting me to transmit to you the attached full text of the communiqué which appeared this morning in the London daily papers.

Yours sincerely,

R. Keith Jopson
[Enclosure]

Statement Issued to the Press, May 1, 1944

Extension of international rubber regulation agreement for a final period of four months from January 1st 1944 agreed to by Governments of the U.K., Netherlands and India and announced in a communiqué of December 29th, 1943 came to an end on April 30th. Agreement is accordingly now no longer operative and international rubber regulation committee has been dissolved.

H. M. Government take this opportunity of expressing their sense of value of past services of international rubber regulation committee and of the way in which necessary adjustments to war time conditions have been effected.

It remains the intention to try to secure the establishment of a new committee on a wider basis without any regulatory powers. Negotiations to that end are in progress and it is hoped will be brought to a satisfactory conclusion.