741.5 MSP/3–1152
No. 365
Prime Minister Churchill
to President Truman1
You will no doubt have seen what has been happening over here and I am sure you will be interested in the Budget. Our defense programme is already somewhat spread out. It is not certain that even with a struggle we shall be able to fulfill it. I quite understand you have your difficulties as well as we. When I was over with you there was much talk of “offshore purchases” which could help the N.A.T.O. front and enable us to fulfill our programme.2
It would be possible for me to arrange for Canberra and Venom aircraft of the latest types now being made by us in the United Kingdom to be delivered to the United States and distributed by you to N.A.T.O. wherever Eisenhower thought they could be most useful.
If as I hope, you think these ideas are worth pursuing I suggest that our people should talk to Mr. Batt in London and that Franks should discuss the matter with Averell Harriman.
Thank you for what you said about the little package of meat.
A memo follows.3
- This message was delivered to Secretary Acheson by Ambassador Franks on Mar. 11 and was attached to a memorandum by Battle to the White House, along with Eden’s message to Acheson (infra), which asked that they be cabled to President Truman who was then in Florida.↩
- For documentation on the Truman–Churchill talks, held Jan. 5–18, at Washington, see Documents 311 ff.↩
- Not printed; the aide-mémoire, dated Mar. 12, presented a detailed proposal for the United States to accept several hundred jet aircraft from the United Kingdom, thus earning dollars for the British and easing their balance of payments problem. (741.5 MSP/3–1252)↩