Office of the Historian

840.48/6–2845: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Belgium (Sawyer)75

Washington, June 28, 1945—7 p.m.

564. Acting Secretary handed notes to Norwegian, Belgian and Netherlands Ambassadors and Luxembourg and Danish Ministers on June 26th76 substance of which follows:

On June 19 SCAEF was advised of decision by CCS77 to terminate military responsibility upon completion of August loadings. This does not include POL and coal which will be separately considered. Combined Military Authorities will endeavor to ship approved civil affairs requirements including August loadings but not responsible thereafter for allocation or procurement of such requirements as may not be available by that time due to supply reasons. Shipping authorities have transition problem in hand and will try to provide equivalent tonnage. Combined Boards and military authorities expect to adjust present allocations so as to achieve equitable sharing of total allocations for liberated areas. Acting Secretary expects transition will be effectively achieved and that supply allocations and shipping will be suitably adjusted within over-all limitations. US Government agencies will assist in every way and respective governments urged immediately to instruct own procurement officials regarding responsibility they are to assume. End of Summary.

Foreign Office is handing similar communication to corresponding representatives, in London.

Grew
  1. Repeated to Oslo as No. 74, to Luxembourg as No. 20, to Copenhagen as No. 57, and to London for the Mission to the Netherlands Government as No. 52.↩
  2. For texts of notes to the Belgian and Netherlands Governments, see vol. iv, p. 103 and vol. v, p. 24, respectively; others not printed.↩
  3. Combined Chiefs of Staff.↩