855.48/5–3045
The Belgian Embassy to the Department of State
Note Concerning the End of the Civil Affairs Period in Belgium
Following a proposal of “Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces”, the Belgian Prime Minister,32 in the name of his Government, accepted, as of August 31st, the entire responsibility of supplying Belgium, thus taking over the obligations which the military had heretofore assumed.
In accepting the proposal, the Prime Minister, aware of the peculiar difficulties of the present moment, emphasized that his Government could not assume this responsibility without the assurance that necessary facilities available to the military would be granted to the Belgian Government.
Belgium should be provided with shipping equal to the amount required by the military for the same supply purpose. Modifications in the details and operations may, of course, be expected, but assurance should be given that the overall situation will remain at least basically the same.
The Combined Boards should grant allocations of foodstuffs and raw materials equal to those granted to the military, so that the Belgian Government may effectively take over the military responsibility for imports.
So that full advantage may be taken of shipping and material allocations, adequate procurement facilities should also be granted.
Clearance facilities should be provided in Belgian ports. While the military authorities have informally indicated that no difficulty is expected in this regard, formal confirmation might well be given.
Because the Belgian Government cannot dispose of quite the same facilities as the military (such as different systems of transport priorities), it is important that the Government be enabled to establish stockpiles of food equivalent at least to one month’s consumption.
The Four Party Supply Committee recognized that this wish of the Belgian Government was a justified one, and that imports of foodstuffs should be increased to provide for the stocks. It was also recognized that this obligation would necessitate additional food shipments, during June and July, equivalent to one month’s imports. It is understood, of course, that the Belgian Government does not intend to use the existence of stocks to increase food rations above the miniumum where they may reasonably be held, especially since the Government accepted months ago, the principle that the British ration should not be exceeded. At the present time, this question is, of course, only a theoretical one.
[Page 103]There is a last consideration regarding imports which is of some importance to Belgium first for internal reasons, and also in cases where neighboring countries are concerned.
This is the tendency to distinguish between items intended for “Relief” and items intended for “Rehabilitation”. The result is, in moments of stress, that rehabilitation items are sacrificed to the benefit of those intended for relief.
While the distinction has some justification, it should not be applied as a principle; rather each concrete case should be examined on an ad hoc basis. In many cases, it has been found that the reduction of “rehabilitation” items involves almost automatically an increase in “relief” items.
Since political and social considerations have become attached to this problem, its importance should not be underestimated.
- Achille van Acker.↩