862.5018/5–847
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas (Hilldring) to the Under Secretary of State (Acheson)
For various reasons, including apparent poor handling of collections in the zones, the food situation in Germany has now reached a most critical point. Present stocks are so low that the zone officials in at least the UK Zone are not distributing the authorized ration, although there has been no official cut.
In order to correct the situation and to insure continued distribution of the 1,550-calorie ration after July 1, it would be necessary to ship an additional 250,000 tons of grain from the U.S. in the months of May and June. I am told by the supply authorities that it is impractical to expect an increase of this size to the zones. Officials of the War Department and members of the Bizonal Supplies Committee have requested the Department of Agriculture to allocate an additional 130,000 tons of wheat to be shipped in May and as early as possible in June. They are specifically requesting wheat, since it is agreed by the procurement and supply officials that only through the procurement of additional wheat in the Northwestern territory of the U.S. can additional shipments be made from the U.S. during May and June.
I want to re-emphasize the urgency of maintaining the ration of the two zones of Germany at this time. This Government must take whatever action is necessary to insure the successful operation of the US–UK Zones of Germany under the Fusion Agreement. I, therefore, recommend that you support Secretary Patterson’s plea for a minimum of 130,000 tons of additional procurement U.S. wheat for the zones, which will be discussed at the Cabinet Food Meeting48 tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.
- Presumably a reference to the meeting of the Secretaries of State, War, Commerce, and Agriculture, May 12; see Secretary of War Patterson’s letter to Secretary of Agriculture Anderson, May 12, 1947, infra.↩