740.00119 PW/3–2346
Mr. Willard L. Thorp, Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs ( Clayton ), to Mr. Martin T. Bennett, of Ambassador Pauley’s Staff
My Dear Mr. Bennett: In Mr. Pauley’s absence, I am writing you to acknowledge receipt of his letter of March 23 enclosing a copy of his report to the President on Japanese reparations,92 and to express our appreciation for the work of the Mission.
[Page 486]I am referring the report to Mr. Edwin M. Martin, Chief of the Division of Japanese Economic Affairs, and U.S. member of the Reparations Committee of the Far Eastern Commission, requesting that he review the conclusions with you in the near future. Such preliminary discussion may aid in clarifying those aspects of the report on which it may be desirable to secure further information as suggested by Mr. Pauley.
Mr. Martin and his staff will endeavor to keep in close touch with you and Mr. DuBois93 in order to have the full benefit of your assistance in arriving at final recommendations for U. S. reparations policy. Such study and discussion may require a period of two or three months as we and the other Departments represented on SWNCC will want to examine closely the implications of your proposals from a number of standpoints before the final recommendations of this government are transmitted to the Far Eastern Commission. The latter body has yet to act on an interim reparations program so that its final reparaions decisions are not likely to be made for several months.
Sincerely yours,