740.00119 EW/11–1245: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Caffery)
5363. For Angell, No. 35. Reurtels 6558 and 6559 from Angell Nos 47 and 46 respectively.30 Dept approves your stand on necessity to value services of PWs used in rehabilitation work, as well as your and Waley’s expressions on terms of employment, restrictions as to types of work, etc. French position rejected as untenable. British position acceptable, but Dept envisages as many difficulties in taking account of distribution of PWs for rehabilitation work, when duration of work and numbers are as uncertain as at present, as in the valuation process.
You are authorized to obtain requests from Zecho, Greece and Jugo which they may have for PWs in US possession for rehabilitation work and to forward them to OMGUS via Murphy, without, however, assurance that PWs can be supplied.
You are instructed to press for valuation of services of PWs in rehabilitation labor as part of reparation settlement at reasonable net value rates. You may inform French that US cannot guarantee how long PWs of US origin will remain available for rehabilitation work if French are unwilling to recognize benefits accruing to France therefrom.
Please repeat urtels 6558 and 6559 to USPolAd, Berlin for Murphy. Sent to Paris, repeated to USPolAd, Berlin for Murphy as Dept’s 900.