611.7131/8–1546: Telegram
The Representative in Rumania (Berry) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
[Received 6:15 p.m.]
793. Mircea Solacolu, Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Economic Agreements, informed me today that a Government commission of six Ministers, of which he is a member, decided that Rumania must import minimum of 500,000 tons of corn, and perhaps 1 million tons, in coming year; that commission wants to know possibilities of obtaining part of this quantity in US against payment; that, if there are possibilities, commission intends to grant N. Malaxa interim authority to begin negotiations which would be later conducted, if necessary, and consummated in name of Government, by Solacolu. Response in principle is requested prior to Solacolu’s departure for Moscow end this month.
Solacolu states that part payment would be made by 10 tons of gold from currency cover, and balance could come from exports of oil and timber products to US or third countries, provided he succeeds in having current Soviet demands on these products relaxed because of critical Rumanian crop condition.
Please telegraph whether in principle such negotiation may be entertained, and under what conditions. For part of the needs Rumanian Government apparently intends also to ask for UNRRA relief. Rumanian Government, incidentally, is making about dollars 4 million available to petroleum companies, against needs of about dollars 8 million for equipment needs much of which must come from US.15
- Telegram 571, August 24, to Bucharest, stated that the United States Government was willing to consider Rumania’s need for corn (611.7131/8–1546).↩