811.24 Raw Materials/448: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)
1520. Your 2470, November 28. Looking back over the past few years, I must say that we have the sense that our relationships with [Page 903] the Rubber Committee have not been badly managed. The characterization upon which you and MacDonald appear to have agreed seems to us distinctly unjustified. The price of rubber has been comparatively stable compared with most raw materials, and certainly compared with the price record in the past. This has been achieved by constant and continuous discussion between ourselves, the American consuming interests, the producing interests, and the Governments of the producing countries. In this work the Embassy has played an invaluable part, which is greatly appreciated here, as well as the fact that the constant demands made by the Department on the Embassy for attention to this matter in recent weeks have added to its burdens at a difficult period.
We recognize the fact that the matter could possibly be adjusted somewhat more easily, and with somewhat less strain if Viles were in London. But in the first place, it is not easy for Viles to get to London under present conditions of transport, especially in wintertime (for one thing he is no longer a young man or a completely well man) and Butterworth agrees that a trip taken under the same conditions as Butterworth’s trip here might be actually dangerous to him. Then again, according to Viles’ own account, there are important reasons why this is a difficult time for him to leave the affairs of his Association. In view of all the above, and the most excellent and obliging service he has given in the past, the Department has not felt that it could press him unduly.
We have turned so continuously to the British Government because of the indubitable fact that the whole function of the international rubber regulation scheme rests on the formal action of governments and in past correspondence the British Government has accepted that sense of ultimate responsibility for the fair operation of the scheme. In therefore continuing our presentations to the British Government, we are only acting in accordance with this basic fact and responsibility and have avoided definitely accepting the idea that the regulation committee is a “sovereign body”, as its members sometimes maintain. If it is a “plenipotentiary committee”, then at least the plenipotentiaries may be considered to be under instructions from their governments.
This is the framework of performance and ideas within which we have operated. Certainly we do not wish to make psychological mistakes in so operating and we shall gladly be guided by you to the utmost possible extent as to how to handle the continuation of immediate negotiations. It has seemed absolutely necessary to continue such negotiations because the action of the International Committee during the past few months has consistently fallen short of the recommendations of the American consumers and this Government and [Page 904] because the dangerous situation, from our point of view, has developed very rapidly.
At this time, when these international committees do not meet in session frequently and do not have the advantage of the presence of consumer representatives, it has seemed particularly important to secure the interested attention of someone within the British Government to the current problems. Apparently Lyttelton is now meeting this need in the case of tin, and it would be most helpful if you could secure the same sort of well-informed effort in the case of rubber.