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134406517
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Memorandum from Edwin W. Pauley to President Harry S. Truman
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
134406517
contentType
document
title
Memorandum from Edwin W. Pauley to President Harry S. Truman
citationUrl
collections
Records of the Naval Aide to the President (Truman Administration)
Berlin Conference Files
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Potsdam Conference, 1945
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134406517
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day
18
logicalDate
1945-07-18
month
7
year
1945
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nara-archive
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1
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photo
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ea0fafb58bf2fefa
ocrText
THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE
ALLIED COMMISSION ON REPARATIONS
July 18, 1945
MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESIDENT
From: Edwin W. Pauley
It is important that we get a definite picture of what Gener-
alissimo Stalin had in his mind yesterday when he raised the ques-
tion of securing reparations from Italy.
As you know, Italy is going to be dependent on the United States
for its sheer existence during the coming winter. The economic situa-
tion there verges on a state of almost complete economic disorganiza=
tion. I understand that our Army representatives on the scene have es-
timated that the United States would have to ship approximately 750
million dollars worth of food and other materials into Italy in order to
tide the country over until next spring Investigations made by FEA
place the figure at over a billion dollars, while the State Department
estimates it to be no less than 500 million.
Under these circumstances, it is quite evident that we can look
for very little in the form of reparations from Italy. Indeed, in the
final analysis, any reparations coming from there would in fact be a
contribution from the taxpayers of the United States. We certainly can-
not permit materials and equipment to be taken out as reparations when
at the same time we are pouring in hundreds of millions of dollars to
keep the Italian people alive.
In order to clarify this issue fully, I am taking the liberty of
suggesting that you ask the Generalissimo just what he hasin mind when
he talks about "reparations from Italy". You might wish to ask him to
be specific as to what he expects to take out and how large a sum he has
in mind.
Respectfully
TRUMAN
AND of
SERVICE"
Es