File No. 763.72/7967

The Special Representative ( House ) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

The following resolutions of the Inter-Allied Conference will appear in the French press on Wednesday morning:

Resolutions Adopted by Section of Blockade

1.
The Section of Blockade has first of all examined the conventions of the Allies with Switzerland concerning the questions of the blockade. As a conclusion of meetings held at Paris between 23d and 30th of November, 1917, the following results have been obtained. A project of an agreement between the United States and Switzerland submitted to the conference was unanimously approved.5 The [Page 996] United States will name delegates to participate in the deliberations of the Permanent Inter-Allied Commission on Contingents as well as delegates to the Inter-Allied Commission at Berne.
2.
The section to begin the study of measures to take to ensure the provisioning of the invaded countries. It adopted the following resolutions: The Allies declare that they will give priority to all supplies intended for the provisioning of the Belgians and the population of the French invaded territory on the basis of the program of the Committee for the Provisioning of Belgium as it was drawn up in the course of conference held at London between the Committee for the Provisioning of Belgium and the British Government. They guarantee the tonnage necessary for the execution of this program taking into consideration such snips as the Committee for the Provisioning of Belgium at present disposes of and those which it may procure in the future either directly or by the aid of the Allied Governments.
3.
The section considers it proper to submit to the conference the following general declaration: The prolongation of the war having caused a consumption of products of all kinds out of proportion to the production, it is evident that the resources available either in the Allied countries or in the various neutral countries are inferior to the actual need for supplies. It is therefore necessary in a general way to extend the principles laid down by the American Government towards the end of July last. The Allies considering that the means of maritime transportation at their disposal as well as the available supplies should be utilized in common for the pursuit of the war have decided to create an inter-Allied organization for the purpose of coordinating their action to this effect in establishing a common program constantly kept up to date permitting the maximum utilization of their resources and the restrictions of their imports in order to release the greatest amount of tonnage possible for the transport of American troops.

Section of Finance

The Section of Finance assembled under the presidency of Monsieur Klotz, Minister of Finance, held frequent meetings at which the several financial questions of interest to the Allies were successively discussed. At the end of its work the section unanimously adopted the following resolution: The financial delegates of the powers believe that for coordination of effort it is desirable to have regular meetings in order to decide questions relative to payments, credit and exchange and thus to ensure concerted action.

Mr. Crosby, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, and Monsieur Klotz, in the name of France, informed the section that in their opinion these meetings should constitute a permanent organization. The resolutions adopted as well as the intentions expressed by all the delegates are proof of the financial solidarity of the Allies. This solidarity will in practice manifest itself by a methodical coordination of effort which will determine the judicious utilization of resources and the best distribution of their strength.

House
  1. For the agreement, see post, p. 1185.