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  4. Document 274

840.6362/11–2546: Telegram

The Chargé in the United Kingdom ( Gallman ) to the Secretary of State

restricted
urgent
London , November 25, 1946—4 p. m.

9725. This is Salco 365 from MEA. In view of extremely serious impact long US coal strike1 would have on economy of many European countries, ECO chairman desires to enquire of Department if statement by him of this situation would be of any possible assistance to US Government. His tentative thought is that if Department sees no objection he would send communication to Department outlining disastrous consequences in Europe of US mine strike, which communication Department could then make public.2

We doubt that any appeal by ECO would be of value in this situation, but in view of ECO chairman’s responsibility to ECO countries have agreed to refer his enquiry for Department’s advice.3

Gallman
  1. The walk-out began November 19.↩

  2. The Agreement for the Establishment of the European Coal Organization to which the United States was a party was signed in London, January 4, 1946; the life of the ECO was to be one year, and on December 30, 1946 (subsequent to the date of this telegram) a protocol to effect prolongation of the agreement was signed in London; for texts, see Department of State Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) Nos. 1508 and 1615 respectively.

    Relevant reference sources are the European Coal Organization, The European Coal Organization, 1945–1947; Brief Description and History (London, 1948) and the Economic Cooperation Administration, European Recovery Program, Coal and Related Solid Fuels Commodity Study (Washington, D.C., 1949); the latter, though focused on a different aspect of the coal recovery program, has useful information regarding the import requirements, supply, exports, and consumption of the several countries involved.

    Representatives of the ECO countries were afforded assistance by the U.S. Government at this time in the procurement of coal in this country through U.S. procurement channels, in which the old lend-lease mechanism and the U.S. Treasury’s procurement authority were utilized for the purchase of coal in the United States on the basis of quotas allocated to those countries under authority of the European Coal Organization.

    ↩
  3. In telegram 7934, to London, Lasco 240, November 27, not printed, the Department of State replied that it recognized the ECO chairman’s responsibility to importing countries and that this Government would have no objection to receiving a statement on behalf of such countries outlining the European consequences of a stoppage of U.S. coal exports to Europe (840.6362/11–2746).↩