610.1131/311½
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of the American Republics (Duggan) to the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
[Washington,] June 14, 1940.
Mr. Welles:
Machinery for Planning and Carrying Out Hemisphere Economic Defense
- (1)
- An Interdepartmental Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Berle, and consisting of representatives of the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and Agriculture, the Federal Loan Agency, the Tariff Commission, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. (The Federal Reserve may be especially useful since Chairman Eccles has his large staff working specifically on this problem. It will be recalled that the Federal Reserve cooperated splendidly in preparing the Inter-American Bank Project.)
- (2)
- It should be the function of this Committee to coordinate the planning being done throughout the various Departments, to recommend in the immediate future a plan of action with the details specifically worked out, to prepare any necessary legislation, and to undertake the responsibility of carrying through the program. It is suggested that in order to relieve Dr. Berle of any details incident to the work of the proposed Interdepartmental Committee that some officer of the Department be appointed Secretary thereto, in much the same way as Mr. Stinebower is Secretary to the Executive Committee on Commercial Policy.
- (3)
- Within the Department of State it is suggested that RA, EA, and TA select representatives to work with Dr. Berle.
Laurence Duggan