Office of the Historian

560.AL/4–546

Memorandum by the Director of the Office of International Trade Policy (Wilcox) to the Assistant Secretary of State (Clayton)

[Washington,] April 5, 1946.

The attached telegram57 indicates that British Cabinet members are finding it increasingly difficult to delay some public announcement [Page 1309] about the date of our preparatory trade negotiations. Yesterday morning Mr. Fowler telephoned to me from London to say that the Government wanted to make an announcement in the House of Commons next Monday, April 8. On the basis of the discussion which we had in your office the night before, I asked him to try and get a postponement. As the attached telegram relates,58 the Embassy was able to get a postponement for a week but the British are insistent on making an announcement on April 15, and the Embassy needs word from us not later than Thursday morning April 11. That means that it is important for us to make every effort to get the President’s approval for September 15 in time for us to send a telegram on Wednesday, April 10.

  1. Refers apparently to London’s telegram 3635, April 1, 7 p.m.; see footnote 55, p. 1306.↩
  2. The drafting is not clear here. Apparently “as the attached telegram relates” refers to a marginal notation on London’s telegram 3635; see footnote 55, p. 1306.↩