Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Western Europe, Volume III

Conference Files: Lot 59 D 95: CF 49

Statement Agreed To by the American and British Representatives on the Working Group on Raw Materials

top secret

[Washington, December 1950.]

Summary Minutes of Conversations by the Working Group Representing the United States and the United Kingdom To Examine Problems of Materials in Short Supply at the Direction of the President and the British Prime Minister During Their Conversations of December 5 to 8, 1950.

It was agreed that the supply of raw materials is of vital importance to the success of the mutual defense programs and the maintenance of healthy civilian economies. Towards the solution of this problem each country agreed to use its best efforts both to increase production and to assure the most effective use of the limited supplies available.

In view of the wide-reaching character of the raw materials problem, it is evident that international action is required to deal with it effectively. The time has passed for meeting individual commodity situations as they arise by means of ad hoc conferences, and machinery must be established as quickly as possible to operate on a continuing basis. It was agreed that this machinery should take the form of a small central body responsible for assuring action in this field, which should when appropriate establish commodity groups designed to assure representation of the various countries particularly concerned in each instance.¹

Particular emphasis should be laid on increasing the availability of raw materials in short supply as a means of assuring not merely the production under the military programs but the meeting of the demands for civilian consumption.

It was agreed that the maintenance of economic strength is the basis of adequate defense efforts.² Where available raw materials are inadequate to meet all demands, highest practicable priority must be given to the needs of current military production. Where civilian consumption must be reduced, requirements essential to the operation of civilian economies in all of the free nations should be met so far as possible.³

1. In the draft referred to in footnote 5, p. 1743, this sentence read:

   “It was agreed that this machinery should take the form of a small central committee responsible for assuring action in this field, which should establish a series of commodity committees designed to assure representation of the various countries particularly concerned in each instance.”

2. In the draft referred to in footnote 1, this sentence was not present.
3. On January 4, 1951, the Department of State submitted to the National Security Council for its information the text of this statement. It was given the series indicator NSC 93/1.