Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The British Commonwealth and Europe, Volume III

800.6363/3–744

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to President Roosevelt ¹¹

London, 6 March, 1944.

Following up your message number 485 to the Prime Minister of March 3rd¹² and State Department message number 1680 to me of March 5th (received this morning) I asked that the Cabinet take up the question of our oil conference in Washington at their evening session today.

It was my intention to forward their decision to Stettinius, but the Prime Minister asked that I transmit it directly to you.

“The War Cabinet welcome your assurance that there is no desire on the part of the United States Government to propose the transfer of our property and interests in Iraq and Iran, which we presume includes our properties elsewhere. In consequence of this, we waive our objection to talks not being in London and will send a delegation to the United States. We still feel, however, that this delegation should be official and expert, and once the ground is clear and facts established, that higher authorities should then intervene.

“As the fact that we are sending a delegation will now become public property, I suggest that a communiqué on the following lines be issued:

“‘The Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom are undertaking preliminary and exploratory discussions on petroleum questions. These discussions will be, in the first instance, at the official and expert level, and will take place in Washington.’¹³

“As I am likely to be questioned in Parliament on the subject, I must reserve the right to make it clear that no question arises of any transfer of existing rights or properties in oil. Signed Churchill.”

Eden told me that the Technical Committee might be called to meet at once and that the conference on a ministerial level could be called immediately thereafter to meet in Washington.

Would you be good enough to inform Stettinius, as I promised him on the telephone today, that I would cable him of the results of the Cabinet meeting this evening?

11. Copy transmitted to the Department by the White House on March 7, 1944.
12. Not printed, but see footnote 10, p. 103.
13. Released to the press by the Department of State on March 7, 1944, together with a list of the American group appointed for further discussions on a higher level; Department of State Bulletin, March 11, 1944, p. 238.