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

851.24/7–2044

The Department of State to the Delegation of the French Committee of National Liberation ⁷

Memorandum

I. The United States Government proposes that aid be made available for Continental France on the following basis:

1. The United States Government will make current payment in dollars to the French authorities for the net amount of French franc currency used for the payment of the United States troops in France. In view of the provisional character of the present United States dollar–French franc rate of exchange, any such payment by the United States Government shall be equitably adjusted in the event of any change in this rate of exchange.

2. Equipment and supplies for the French armed forces and short-life industrial maintenance articles and materials for employment in French war production or communications, to the extent approved as necessary military aid, would be furnished under straight lend-lease until such time after the end of hostilities in Europe as the President may determine to be necessary in the war effort. Thereafter, such equipment, supplies, articles, and materials, to the extent that the United States Government had agreed to make them available and had them either in inventory or under contract, would be delivered and paid for on credit arrangements under Section 3(c) of the Lend-Lease Act.

3. Long-life industrial articles and materials for French production essential to the prosecution of the war in Europe or to the support, supply, and protection of Allied armed forces until such period after the end of hostilities in Europe as the President may determine to be necessary in the war effort, would be furnished on credit arrangements under Section 3(c) of the Lend-Lease Act.

4. All other supplies furnished by the United States Government would be paid for currently in dollars. These would include supplies furnished under Plan “A”. If the amount of dollars acquired by the French authorities on account of troop pay, or from other sources, is inadequate to pay for such supplies, the French authorities will use for this purpose the gold now held in the territories under the control of the French authorities and such other gold and dollar assets as may be or may become available to the French authorities.

II. It is proposed that the following types of assistance would be made available as reciprocal lend-lease aid from France, and all territory under the control of the Committee, to the extent that they can be most effectively procured therein:

1. Military equipment, munitions, supplies, materials, services, projects, and facilities for the United States armed forces, except for the pay and allowances of such forces;

2. Such materials required for use in war industries of the United States, as the Commitee may be in a position to supply.

Washington , July 20, 1944.

7. Marginal notations state that the memorandum in this form was approved at a meeting in the office of the Assistant Secretary of War, McCloy, attended, in addition to Mr. McCloy, by Mr. Dunn and Mr. Taft of the State Department, Mr. Bell of the Treasury Department, and Mr. Emerson of the Foreign Economic Administration, among others, and that the original was handed to Mr. Hervé Alphand by Mr. McCloy at the Pentagon on July 20, 1944. Mr. Alphand came to Washington in July with General de Gaulle to discuss relations between France and the United States.