851.6131/11–1747
The Acting Secretary of State to the French Ambassador (Bonnet)
The Acting Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of France and has the honor to refer to his note No. 320 of September 23, 1947 and to the Embassy’s memoranda of October 24, 1947 and November 17, 19471 requesting that increases be made in the allocations of grain from the United States to France and French North Africa during the present half-year period.
[Page 812]The Embassy’s memorandum of November 17 refers to the monthly allocations as announced from July to December as totalling only about 530,000 tons, as compared to a quantity of 606,000 tons recommended by the International Emergency Food Council for shipment from the United States in this period. While it is true that the total of new programs as announced for these six months is the figure indicated in the Embassy’s memorandum, all shipments actually made within the new crop-year, that is, liftings from July 1 forward, must be counted as belonging to the crop-year 1947–48 and are consequently counted against the International Emergency Food Council figure applying to that year. International Emergency Food Council allocations for any period of time are made on a shipment basis. The total of shipments to France from the United States, representing the sum of the carry-over from allocations made before July 1 and the regular six monthly allocations announced for July–December, and allowing for some overage in landings, is expected to be about 620,000 tons. This calculation leaves out of account the considerable imports arriving in France after July 1 but which were lifted before that date.
The American Embassy in Paris has clarified this matter for officials of the French National Cereals Board and reports that there is no disagreement on this basis with the above estimate of 620,000 tons for France and French North Africa as against the International Emergency Food Council recommendation of 606,000 tons.
The Department of State is greatly concerned about the low stock position in metropolitan France which is in prospect by January 1 as the result of heavy diversions of United States exports of grain to French North Africa and the failure to secure a larger flow of imports from other sources to supplement imports from the United States. Conferences in Paris between French officials and American Embassy representatives indicated that stocks might sink to 245,000 tons by January 1. As soon as this position was clarified an emergency allocation of 54,000 tons of wheat and flour (wheat equivalent) was made to supplement the December program of 130,000 tons. It is understood that the four cargoes of wheat can be scheduled at the beginning of December and that the flour, while subject to fumigation because of long storage, is in export position.
While it has not been found possible to assist France at this time to the extent requested by the Embassy, it is considered that the above-mentioned supplementary allocation will give France stocks at least equal to a month’s consumption and thus prevent any breakdown in distribution of the present ration.
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