840.50 Recovery/8–647: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
3123. For the Secretary and Lovett from Clayton, Caffery, Douglas, Murphy, and Nitze. Supplementing our 3122 of August 6, we have canvassed position of the UK, France and Italy. The case of each is, we believe, critical. Failing additional assistance by the United States this year, the situation in these countries may so deteriorate economically, socially, politically, and their foreign policy may be necessarily so modified, that our objectives in Western Europe and elsewhere may become unattainable. We, therefore, suggest that every conceivable avenue of providing interim assistance be carefully reviewed, including possibly the calling of a special session of Congress.
We have not mentioned the critical state of affairs in Germany, which is recognized. However, United States responsibility as an occupying power places the German problem from the standpoint of interim relief in a separate category.
[Page 345]Sent Dept as 3123, repeated Rome for Dunn as 199.
[Clayton, Caffery, Douglas, Murphy, and Nitze.]