851.5018/4–2947
The Secretary of State to the French Ambassador (Bonnet)
The Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of France and has the honor to refer to his note No. 125 of March 31, 1947, his aide-mémoire of April 8, 1947, and his note No. 153 of April 29, 1947,1 referring to the serious situation which has developed in the effort to cover the deficit in bread grains in France and French North Africa.
The Ambassador specifically requested in his note of March 31, 100,000 tons in addition to the April and May allocations which had been announced at that time, and an allocation of 200,000 tons for June. Emergency allocations of 33,000 tons and 36,000 tons of flour wheat equivalent have now been added to the April and May export programs. The June export program also contains 82,000 tons of flour and corn for France. In addition, an emergency allocation of 36,000 tons of corn has just been added to the May–June program for France. These allocations constitute a total of 187,000 tons which have been added since the Ambassador’s note was received.
In his aide-mémoire of April 8 and his note of April 29 the Ambassador also requested that grain be made available in excess of the present allocations for May and June, and that the June allocation be shipped in advance. Officials of the United States Government have borne constantly in mind the French supply problem and have sought to extend as much help as possible. Efforts are being made to obtain further quantities of grain, but it is not yet certain whether this can be done, and it is only fair to state that any such quantities would be very limited. With respect to the question of shipping the June allocation in advance, the Department is informed that all the flour and grain in that allocation is purchased and shipped through private commercial channels. This Government does not, therefore, make the arrangements for such shipments, but it has already authorized the French to move grain bought through the private trade as fast as contracts will allow and shipping facilities permit.
The Secretary of State wishes to express to His Excellency this Government’s great concern with the French grain position and its [Page 708] earnest desire to furnish as much help as possible. Every consideration will be given to the needs of France, and it is regretted that heavy emergency demands in other parts of the world, together with the limitation of supply and transportation, make it impossible at this time to give the Ambassador assurances of a more definite or extensive nature.2