Office of the Historian

740.00112 EW/11104: Airgram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, June 17, 1944.
[Received June 23—8 a.m.]

A–744. Reference Department’s A–702, April 25 regarding enemy efforts to secrete funds or other assets in neutral countries.

1.
Embassy has not sent any circular instruction or communication to Missions of type mentioned in Department’s reference airgram nor has Embassy any reports from Missions regarding enemy attempts to secrete assets in neutral countries.
2.
Early in May, Embassy discussed Department’s reference airgram with competent officials of appropriate sections of MEW. Embassy is now informed by MEW that no circular instructions or communications, described in Department’s reference airgram, have been sent to British Missions.
3.
Embassy understands that MEW has comparatively little in its files in connection with this problem. However, MEW is gathering together all available material both from interested sections of MEW and from other government departments.
4.
MEW is also carefully considering the terms of a circular instruction it proposes to send to British Missions in Europe. MEW’s tentative view is that the aim of the proposed circular will be defeated if it is too general in its terms and too broad in its scope. Consequently, the Ministry is planning a circular instruction which will be well defined in scope and will request missions for specific kinds and categories of material. Embassy will refer to Department MEW’s proposed circular instruction as soon as a copy is received.
5.
MEW’s collection of available data will probably not be completed for about three or four weeks. Embassy will transmit all such material to Department immediately after receipt.
6.
In meantime interested officers of Embassy, including Treasury Representative,9 met to discuss future flow of relevant material from London to Washington.
Winant
  1. William H. Taylor.↩