840.50/3–445: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
London, March 4,
1945—7 p.m.
[Received 11:59 p.m.]
2233. I. The following is the draft text of the proposed recommendations on
the establishment of a European Economic Committee:
- [“]3. In view of the foregoing it is recommended that a
consultative and advisory body, to be known as the European
Economic Committee, be established as soon as possible to deal
with the type of problems described above. The general terms of
reference might be:
“‘To provide a forum for discussion and interchange of
information and for the formulation of recommendations
with respect to (a) economic
questions arising in Europe during the last part of the
European war and the transition period immediately
following, and (b) such questions
of reconstruction policy and longer term development as
must necessarily be considered in connection with (a)’
- “4. In the initial stages the committee should be composed of
representatives of the Allied Governments in Europe and the
United States Government.65 Neutrals could be
brought in as and when the foundation members agreed that it was
expedient. The attendance of representatives to speak for, the
enemy countries will have to be arranged in different ways
according to the extent to which the controlling or occupying
powers have assumed responsibility for the various functions of
government. The exact manner of their representation will,
however, be a matter for decision by the controlling or
occupying powers, in consultation with the members of the
EEC.
- “5. It will clearly be necessary for the European Economic
Committee to agree at the very outset an effective working
relationship
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with
other parties whose fields of activities have or will have
connections with the committee’s sphere—the appropriate military
commands, combined boards, UNEEA, United Nations Maritime
Authority, European Central Inland Transport Organization, the
food and agriculture organization, the Bretton Woods
organizations, the reparation and restitution commissions, and
the control machinery in occupied enemy countries.
- “6. The European Economic Committee should be established as
soon as possible with the terms of reference set forth in
paragraph X above, and should proceed at once to take
appropriate steps, including the establishment of suitable
reactions with the bodies mentioned in the preceding paragraph
and the creation of any technical or other committees or
agencies that may be required to deal with particular goods or
problems.”
II. Following is the text of the proposed draft note on a European coal
organization:
- “A. Nature of the problem.
- “(I) Need for coordination of coal supplies for
Europe.
- “The recent acceleration in the progress of the
European war has underlined the urgency of the problem
of coordinating coal supplies for Europe in the period
immediately preceding and following the end of the
German war. It is already clear that, owing to manpower
and transport difficulties, supplies of coal from
non-German sources will, for some time, fall far short
of requirements, even if enemy resistance were to be
overcome without extensive damage to Allied and enemy
coal fields; and that in this transition period, Europe
will have to depend to an appreciable extent on German
coal. Later, when and if export surpluses become
available in the Allied coal producing countries, it is
considered that, so long as the total requirements in
Europe exceed total supplies, the only means of ensuring
a fair and equitable distribution of total export
supplies would be to coordinate the allocation of such
supplies, together with Germany’s surplus. The measure
of this surplus will depend on the requirements of
Germany’s national economy as determined by the Allies,
and on any reparations, political, and economic
agreements.
- “(II) Equipment for mines.
- “Supplies of mining machinery and equipment will be
required for the mines to reach their maximum
production. Many of these requirements are in very short
supply and will need expert coordination so as to ensure
an equitable and efficient distribution of both
indigenous and non-indigenous supplies. It may well be,
for instance, that German mines should not have the
first choice of machinery and equipment produced by
German industry. An important factor in the distribution
would be the extent to which output of coal could be
increased by the provision of mining machinery and
equipment made available for allocation on the lines
proposed in the preceding paragraph due regard being
paid to local needs and to the transport available at
the time.
- “(III) Mining labor.
- “The return of displaced miners, and the recruitment
of new, presents a serious problem requiring
coordination so that the needs of
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Europe as a whole may be
determined and presented to the appropriate
authority.
- “(IV) Transport.
- “As the possibility of moving supplies both by land
and sea will be entirely dependent upon the availability
of transport, it will be necessary to coordinate the
demands for the transport of coal and mining machinery,
so that these demands can be effectively presented to
the authorities responsible for coordinating transport
to meet requirements, e.g. the United Maritime Authority
and the European Central Inland Transport
Organization.
- “(V) Handling of German coal and mining
machinery.
- “The allocation of German supplies which may be made
available outside Germany will need careful and expert
handling if a truly equitable distribution is to be
ensured and if the legitimate trading interests of the
Allies are to be adequately safeguarded.
- “B. Existing machinery.
- “(I) The combined boards at present only allocate
available exportable supplies of coal and planned items
of mining machinery emanating from the British Empire
and the U.S.A.
- “(II) During the period of military operations, SHAEF
and AFHQ control the import of coal and mining machinery
into northwest Europe and the Mediterranean area.
- “(III) Neither of these arrangements would suffice to
deal with the problems outlined above. In any case, the
period during which the Allied Commanders in Chief will
continue their present limited functions is
short.
- “C. Proposed machinery to meet the
problem.
- “(I) With the object of ensuring a fair and equitable
allocation of available supplies, it is proposed that a
European coal organization should be set up for the
effective coordination of European requirements and
supplies in relation to the world shortage of coal
supplies, mining labor and equipment and transport. In
general, the European coal organization should make
recommendations to the appropriate governments,
international organizations and other bodies concerned.
Also, the member governments should empower their
representatives to arrange for action to be taken with
the appropriate authorities to resolve emergency
problems within Europe as they arise.
- “(II) The organization should be composed, in the
first instance, of representative of the United Kingdom,
the U.S.A., the USSE, France and the other European
Allies. There should, of course, be provision for the
establishment of such relationships as may in each case
be appropriate with the Allied Control Commissions,
combined boards, UNRRA, the proposed European Economic
Committee, EITO, UMA, and other bodies which may be
established. Provision should also be made for
appropriate relationships with representatives of
employers and employees, and with consuming interests,
including the interests of neutrals.”
The United States member of the drafting committee proposed to substitute the
following for C (I) in the above text:
“It is proposed that a European coal organization should be set up
for the effective coordination of European requirements and supplies
[Page 1430]
in relation to the
world shortage of coal supplies, mining labor and equipment, and
transport, with the object of insuring a fair and equitable
distribution of available supplies and in order to resolve emergency
problems as they arise.”
