Editorial Note
On September 14, 1953, the Department of State sent telegrams to the Embassies in London, Paris, Rome, and Colombo requesting their advice on whether the United States should continue its embargo of sulphur to Ceylon, particularly in view of the refusal of the United Kingdom, France, and Italy to withhold sulphur from Ceylon over the past year (446E.009/9–1453). In telegrams 1261 from London, September 23, and 92 from Colombo, September 25, both the Embassies at [Page 1587] London and Colombo replied that they favored the discontinuance of the United States embargo. They expressed the belief that continued United States refusal to ship sulphur to Ceylon would have little effect on Ceylonese rubber production but would only serve to aggravate United States—Ceylon relations. The Embassy in London doubted, in any event, that the United Kingdom would be inclined to cooperate with the United States in withholding future sulphur supplies from Ceylon. (446E.009/9–2353; 446E.009/9–2553) The Embassy at Paris in telegram 1243, September 25, indicated that France would in all likelihood permit exports of black sulphur to Ceylon and stated that French officials would consider the abandonment of the United States embargo to be “realistic” in the absence of any strong international support for United States policy (446E.009/9–2553). In despatch 686, September 22, the Embassy in Rome advised against the United States resuming sulphur exports to Ceylon on the grounds that such an action might convey to United States allies a softening posture toward Communist aggression. It, however, offered little hope that Italy would withhold its huge stocks of high-priced black sulphur from the Ceylon market if there were to be a demand for it. (446E.009/9–2253)