Office of the Historian

862.852/45

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Grady)

[Washbstgton,] November 3, 1939.
Participants: Mr. Daniel P. McDonald, Counselor at Law, New York City
Mr. Henry F. Grady
Mr. William R. Vallance26

Mr. McDonald called on me this morning, at the suggestion of Mr. Saugstad27 and Mr. Vallance. Mr. McDonald said that he represented interests in New York who wish to buy the German ships interned in Latin American ports. He had approached the German Embassy and had been given encouragement. He had attempted to see Sir Owen Chalkley28 at the British Embassy but it was intimated that he could not discuss matters of this kind with any one in authority unless he were introduced through officials in the Department of State. He asked me if I could arrange for an appointment for him. He said the purpose of the purchase was to put the ships into the trans-Atlantic trade for carrying cargo to the British and French and that the ships would be registered under the Panama flag. I told him that I would give thought to the matter and let him know.

After consulting with Mr. Moffat29 and Mr. Hackworth,30 I telephoned Mr. McDonald at his hotel and advised him that I would be unable to arrange an introduction to Sir Owen Chalkley.

H[enry] F. G[rady]
  1. Assistant to the Legal Adviser.↩
  2. Jesse E. Saugstad, Assistant Chief, Division of International Communications.↩
  3. Commercial Counselor of Embassy.↩
  4. Jay Pierrepont Moffat, Chief, Division of European Affairs.↩
  5. Green H. Hackworth, Legal Adviser.↩