840.50/848: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 24—8:20 a.m.]
6594. Reference Department’s 5795, November 18, 11 p.m.
1. The text of the letter just received from Leith-Ross is being transmitted in a subsequent telegram following immediately.58 Leith-Ross [Page 147] has been in consultation with Food Ministry on storage space and likewise with War Office regarding estimates now being prepared by Allied Bureau covering minimum supplies required immediately after Axis are driven out from occupied territories.
The following explanations are merely comments on Leith-Ross communication.
2. According to Leith-Ross, Ministry of Food does not anticipate any difficulty in storing all non-perishable relief foodstuffs which can be sent to United Kingdom. Ministry, Leith-Ross tells me, anticipates drawing on its foodstuffs stocks to the extent of about 300,000 tons by March 1943. On the other hand, it is stated that the cold storage situation here is fairly tight.
It has been impossible to prepare immediately any worthwhile estimates of storage space available for non-foodstuffs but it is the tentative opinion of British authorities concerned that facilities can be found unless Department has very large quantities in mind, in which case the figures under consideration would be helpful to the storage control people here.
3. With respect to estimates of immediate requirements for occupied areas upon their release from Axis control, the Allied Postwar Requirements Bureau, at request of War Office, is preparing a program of emergency needs. This report should be finished in about a fortnight. It comprises an “iron ration” of 6 weeks; this ration to be the same weight as the army ration but somewhat modified for civilian requirements. A second emergency period is then envisaged of possibly 6 months during which time it is expected that it will be feasible to ship some bulk supplies.
4. According to Leith-Ross, the Food Ministry is of the opinion that food stocks here should be in one pool under one control and one administration for the following:
- (a)
- Civilian use in United Kingdom
- (b)
- Military relief in liberated areas
- (c)
- Civil relief in liberated areas.
With basic arrangements to be jointly worked out by Food Ministry and Combined Boards.
5. Leith-Ross plans to call a meeting of the Committee on Coordination of Estimates of Requirements (see Embassy’s 6124, November 259) on November 27 next to suggest to Allied delegates that requirement programs should be prepared in two stages, i. e., a period of about 60 days immediately after liberation of an area from Axis control during which time they must expect that only minimum supplies of a [Page 148] limited variety will be available for shipment, and a second period as already described in section 13 [3].
No mention will be made to Allies here of Department’s request given in its 5795; Allied delegates on both coordination and nutrition committees will merely be asked to assist in immediate preparation of estimates for their own respective countries for two periods envisaged; the first estimate to be arranged in priority order of shiploads as suggested by Department.
Likewise, estimates of prospective local supplies which seem likely to be found in reoccupied areas will be requested.
6. Leith-Ross has stated in confidence that he is impressing upon British military here the need for giving consideration to the smooth merging of relief control from the hands of the military to civilian authorities by allowing the civilian relief officials to work with military relief officers under latter’s instructions in order to provide requisite experience and background, thereby preventing avoidable hitches at transfer period.
7. Leith-Ross has asked me to express his delight at the appointment of Governor Lehman as Director General of Relief60 and hopes that he will shortly have time to come to London for a brief visit.