Memorandum for the President Regarding Lend-Lease to England

3 THE SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON 8 head beuto MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT England 1. I have had prepared a new draft reply from you to the Prime Minister's telegram of May 28 regarding Lend-Lease during the Japanese War. It would assure the Prime Minister that it is your intention that deliveries should be made for the prosecution of the war against Japan in accordance with schedules and other terms prepared by Army, Navy, and F.E.A. supply officers in consultation with British representatives last November as modified in the light of changing strategic plans as well as of supply, procurement, and allocation considerations. It would remind the Prime Minister that the British dollar position re- mains at a reasonable level which should permit some relaxation of the exceedingly tight policy of the British with respect to dollar pay- ments. 2. The schedules prepared last November and modified continuously in the light of changing circumstances are based solely on the efficient prosecution of the war against Japan and have been so presented to the Congress on three occasions: (1) Last November on the conclusion of the Phase II discussions and prior to the release of a statement by Secretary Morgenthau and Messrs. Stettinius and Crowley in the United States and of an address by the Prime Minister before the House of : ARCHIVES "NATIONAL SERVICE' RCOORDS AND GENERAL Commons; (2) Last March and April in hearings on the extension of the Lend-Lease Act; and (3) Three weeks ago in hearings on the Lend-Lease appropriation. 3. The munitions schedules are in three parts: ground forces, air, and naval. The ground forces schedules and conditions were ori- ginally signed on October 23, 1944, by Under Secretary Patterson and Generals Somervell and Clay. The air and fleet air arm schedules and conditions were originally signed on October 31, 1944 by Under Secre- tary Patterson, Assistant Secretaries Lovett and Gates, General Arnold, and Vice-Admiral Fitch. The naval schedules and conditions were ori- ginally signed on November 10, 1944, by Vice-Admiral Horne. As indi- cated above, these schedules are constantly subject to strategic and supply decisions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 14.