892.61317/3–546
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Aide-Mémoire
The Department of State has considered with care the information conveyed by the British Embassy’s aide-mémoire, dated March 5, 194617 and the accompanying oral statement by an officer of the Embassy18 that it is proposing to the Siamese Government the substitution of a new plan to maximize the export from and production of rice in Siam in lieu of Article 14 of the Anglo-Siamese Agreement of January 1, 1946. It is the Department’s understanding that this proposal will provide for a target figure of 1,200,000 tons of rice to be exported under the authority of the proposed Rice Commission during the twelve months following the formal acceptance of the new proposal in accordance with allocations recommended by the Combined Food Board or successor body. It is understood that this proposal would be effected simultaneously with the signing of the Tripartite Agreement and the exchange of notes regarding the Memorandum of Understanding. All such rice would be paid for at prices to be determined, as provided in the Tripartite Agreement, by the Commission in agreement with the Siamese Government. If the [Page 954] proposal is accepted by the Siamese Government, the requirement for a free contribution of rice set forth in Article 14 of the Anglo-Siamese Agreement of January 1, 1946 would be waived, except that the Siamese Government would have to deliver free of charge, in such manner as the British Government might propose, an amount of rice equal to the amount by which exports of rice during the twelve months following acceptance of the new proposal fall short of the target figure. If rice at that time is still subject to international allocation it is assumed that rice so contributed free of charge would be exported in the same manner and under the same conditions as had been contemplated in the Tripartite Agreement for the free rice required by Article 14.
This Government welcomes the plan proposed by the British Government and believes that it will greatly aid in the important objective of maximizing the export from and production of rice in Siam.
The suggested amendments to the proposed Tripartite Rice Agreement and other documents which have been prepared in connection with it have been carefully examined. This government has no objection to the amendments proposed but would suggest four modifications.
- (1).
- It believes that the amount of rice to be available for export in
each month should be determined (having in mind, of course, the
proposed target figure) by the Rice Commission in agreement with the
Siamese Government as heretofore planned. It believes therefore that
the last Clause of Article II, paragraph 3, should not be omitted
but should be reworded so that Article II, paragraph 3, would read
approximately as follows:
“3. The Government of Siam will, if requested by the Rice Commission, require returns from all holders of stocks of rice and paddy and will, in agreement with the Rice Commission, determine the amount of rice which will be made available for export in each month during the period that this Agreement is in effect.”
- (2).
- In Article II, Section 6, it is suggested that there should be inserted after the words “January 1, 1946” a phrase along the following lines “as modified by the notes exchanged between His Britannic Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires and the Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs at Bangkok on . . . . . .”
- (3).
- A similar reference, it is thought, should be made in the first sentence of paragraph 10 of the Memorandum of Understanding. After the word “Article” in the second sentence of that paragraph it would seem that the words “as so modified” should be inserted.
- (4).
- With regard to the notes to be exchanged between His Britannic Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires and the Siamese Minister of Foreign Affairs on the relationship between the Tripartite Agreement and Articles XIII and XV of the Singapore Agreement, the Department has noted that the British Government desires to have stated that the Tripartite Agreement “should be regarded as implementing Articles XIII and XV”. The Department would appreciate [Page 955] it if in each of the notes after the word “regarded” there were inserted the words “by our two Governments”.
In order to expedite the negotiation and conclusion of the Tripartite Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding the Department is telegraphing the American Chargé d’Affaires at Bangkok19 its approval of the amendments suggested by the British Government and the foregoing suggestions which we have made and is authorizing him to associate himself with the British Chargé d’Affaires in commencing negotiation of the Tripartite Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding with the Siamese Government as soon as the British Chargé d’Affaires receives similar instructions from London. It is assumed that if the suggestions herein offered by the Department are acceptable to the British Government, it will include the changes suggested in its instructions to the British Chargé d’Affaires.