811.24 Raw Materials/949: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)
Washington, May
18, 1940—2 p.m.
894. Your 1263.
- (1)
- The arrangements you report would appear to afford a basis for working out satisfactory arrangements. Department takes note of the fact that the 80 percent announcement by the Committee would be a tentative minimum pending the conclusion of Hay’s mission.
- (2)
- That mission should serve a useful purpose. Department hopes by the time he arrives the plan will be in specific and definite form but cannot be certain of this.
- (3)
- We will make no announcement as to the Hay mission or as to our prospective purchasing program but as Embassy recognizes the discussions which are scheduled between this Government and the American rubber manufacturers are almost certain to become known.
- (4)
- In regard to the question of the protection of the market against overhanging stocks, obviously we should want to be able to use these stocks to take care of any serious difficulties that may arise and must have freedom to do so. On the other hand of course it would be as much to the interest of the American manufacturers and Government to avoid any marked decline in the value of these stocks as it is to the producers.
Hull