811.7445/51

The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (Fly) to the Secretary of State

My Dear Mr. Secretary: Certain difficulties have arisen in connection with the establishment, upon a satisfactory basis, of direct [Page 294] radiotelegraph circuits between the United States and Bombay, India, by Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company15 and R.C.A. Communications, Inc. Accordingly, the assistance of your Department is requested in this matter. The pertinent facts are as follows:

[Here follows account of negotiations on technical aspects of the question between American communications officials and their counterparts in the Government of India.]

In summary, the Commission would appreciate the cooperation of the Department of State in obtaining the consent of the appropriate Indian authorities to the establishment of the direct circuits with both RCAC and Mackay upon the following basis:

1.
The volume of traffic from India to the United States to be transmitted over the direct circuits shall bear the same relation to the total traffic from India to the United States as the volume of traffic from the United States to India over the direct circuits bears to the total traffic from the United States to India.
2.
Traffic from India to the United States shall be divided between the RCAC and Mackay circuits, respectively, in the same proportions as the Indian Company received traffic from each of these companies.
3.
The radio link portions of the tolls shall be divided equally between the parties.
4.
Accounts shall be established and maintained by all parties in gold francs.
5.
The settlement of traffic balances shall be effected in United States currency at the rate of 5.1825 gold francs equals one United States dollar.

By direction of the Commission
James Lawrence Fly
  1. The Mackay circuit was to be established for the duration of the war and six months thereafter (811.7445/51).