851.48/114: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
London, January 3,
1941—10 p.m.
[Received 10:55 p.m.]
[Received 10:55 p.m.]
25. Department’s 3977, December 31, 1 p.m.2 Following for the President from the Former Naval Person.3
- “1. I have received your message of December 31st on the subject of the supply of milk and vitamin concentrates for children in unoccupied France and we have been greatly impressed by your arguments in favor of this proposal. The anxiety which we have always felt about this project is that it would lead to similar demands on behalf of our German occupied allies. We are indeed sure to be hard pressed by these unhappy people and it is therefore important that we should maintain the distinction which you draw so clearly between German occupied territories and those not in actual occupation. I feel sure that I can count upon your help to maintain this distinction for otherwise the whole fabric of our blockade would be fatally undermined and I need not stress to you what this would mean in terms of final victory.
- 2. We are prepared to agree at once to the despatch of the
first ship to Seville, Barcelona and Marseille as you propose,
subject to the following arrangements as regards safeguards
which seem to us to meet the case.
- (1)
- Relief goods [shipments] to be confined to medical supplies in the strict sense (excluding cod and halibut liver oils), vitamin concentrates, dried or tinned milk and children’s clothing.
- (2)
- Distribution to be effected solely by the American Red Cross either direct from their own depots or under strict supervision to children’s hospitals and clinics.
- (3)
- Assurances to be secured from the Vichy Government that the press shall be allowed to publish periodical accounts of the [Page 90] relief work undertaken, such accounts to include reference to the cooperation of His Majesty’s Government in allowing passage through the blockade.
- (4)
- Further shipments to be stopped if there should be any evidence that these conditions are not being fulfilled.
- 3. There is one point over which you can help us greatly. In any announcement of the scheme which is made in America we should like our part in the transaction to be presented in as favorable a light as possible. While it would be made clear that this step had been taken on your initiative, we would like it stated that the relief goods are available only by good will of His Majesty’s Government. The impression which we should like to see created is that of Anglo-American cooperation for humanitarian ends.”
Johnson