810.20 Defense/6–1347
The Secretary of War (Patterson) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: You have no doubt been informed, both by State and War Department advisors, that the equipment earmarked for the Interim Allocation of the Western Hemisphere Defense Program has been made available to the Field Commissioner for Military Programs, Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, Department of State. This, of course, is less the amount of equipment that cannot be made available due to the Veterans’ Preference Act.28
To date, the War Department has received shipping instructions from the State Department (Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner, Field Commissioner for Military Programs) for approximately 40 per cent of the countries authorized to receive equipment under this program.
Due to the decrease of War Department personnel ceilings, the necessity for consolidation of storage space within the Zone of Interior, and the possibility of utilizing portions of equipment earmarked for this program for other War Department commitments, the War Department [Page 116] is most anxious to complete shipment of all Interim Program equipment at the earliest practicable date.
The present War Department policy is that the Interim equipment will not be held beyond 31 December 1947.
Due to the above personnel restrictions, and limited storage space, I recommend that a suspense date of 15 August 1947 be established for all equipment other than aircraft. This would require that all countries which have not yet placed a firm order with the Field Commissioner for Military Programs for Interim Program equipment, do so by this date. All equipment not firmly ordered by this date will revert to War Department stocks for utilization for other approved programs.
In line with the above proposed suspense date of 15 August 1947 for firm orders, the War Department will expect the countries concerned to take complete delivery on or before 31 December 1947. This is in accordance with presently established War Department policy.
I further recommend, that if you are in accord with the above proposed suspense date, that the Foreign Liquidation Commission Field Commissioner for Military Programs be directed to notify the countries concerned without delay, of this decision, and further, that I be notified as soon as practicable of your concurrence or recommendation.29
Sincerely yours,
- For Veterans’ Preference Act of June 27, 1944, see 58 Stat. 387.↩
- In a letter of November 19, Kenneth C. Royall, Secretary of the Army, recommended extension of the retention date of available equipment for the Western Hemisphere Defense Program from December 31, 1947, to June 30, 1948 (810.20 Defense/11–1947). The Department’s acceptance of these recommendations was indicated in letters of June 27 and December 12, 1947, to Mr. Patterson and Mr. Royall, respectively (810.20 Defense/6–1347 and /11–1947).↩