800.515/1011: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 20—5:02 p.m.]
3253. Department’s 3077, April 18 [17], midnight. The following is an urgent message from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to Secretary Morgenthau: [Page 125]
“I thank you for your personal message of April 18.27 Arrangements are being made for publication here on Saturday morning to fit the timing of publication in the United States. We are informing the Dominions of the agreed changes in the statement but owing to the difficulties of synchronizing our publication with yours, I doubt whether it will be possible for any of them to publish simultaneously though they may be able to make some announcement. As for the representatives of the European countries who are in England, we shall send them a copy of what we publish but no question of simultaneous publication or announcement by them could arise.
- “2. I note that you propose to make a general statement on the same lines as that by our Government though not necessarily in identical language.
- “3. Owing to other parliamentary business already determined, it is not possible for me to give you a clear indication when contemplated debate will take place. If for any reason it had to be deferred for a considerable period, I could not expect you to hold back on that account from any action you might wish to take.
- “4. If the general reception of the statement of principles indicates to your Government that a further conference at an early date is desirable, we should try to fall in with your plans though I am sure you will understand that for various reasons both travel and communications will be very difficult to arrange.
- “I think I should make plain to you our conception of the nature of the conference that might be held. The statement of principles will have appeared on April 22 and this will be the first occasion upon which many countries who are important in international commerce and whose adherence to the scheme would be necessary for its successful operation will be definitely aware of its contents. It is an important statement about postwar international cooperation and its important issues. My judgment is that a conference at the end of May, if indeed it can be arranged at that date, in view of the difficulties I have mentioned should be summoned for the purpose of examining the statement of principles and establishing a detailed text which would then be the subject of formal consideration by governments so that they could declare their attitude to the scheme as a whole.
- “5. As regards the Bank for Reconstruction and Development, I have received your draft statement of principles28 which you were good enough to send me. Meanwhile Mr. Opie will have informed Dr. White of our general views on the plans you have published and will, I hope, have been in a position to give Dr. White a memorandum which we had prepared.29 There is no disagreement between us as to the objectives of such a scheme but, as you will have observed, we approach it from a rather different standpoint and I very much doubt whether it would be practicable for us to reach agreement on a joint statement of principles without a further conference between our [Page 126] respective experts. The Conference on the Monetary Fund might provide the opportunity for this.
“In these circumstances I think your suggestion that you should explain to the Congressional Committee that the statement of principles which you have sent me is being released as having the approval of the experts of a number of countries is premature and might give rise to misunderstanding. Should it not be presented at this stage as representing the views of the technical experts of the United States?”