600.0031 World Program/231: Telegram
The Ambassador in Belgium ( Gibson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 12—11:35 a.m.]
120. Van Zeeland expects to submit his report to the British and French Government shortly before Christmas.
He has gone over his tentative draft with Leith-Ross29 who has unofficially expressed encouraging reactions and his hope that its [Page 689] suggestions may be pressed forward as promptly as possible. He has permitted Chautemps30 to read it and his comments were distinctly encouraging. Chautemps said that while some of the suggestions in the report were hard on French economic policy, he felt that the ends to be achieved were of such fundamental importance that they would be worth the price.
Van Zeeland has also just notified the German and Italian Governments that his report will soon be ready and that if they desire a further discussion of the problems involved he is at their disposal. He is waiting for their reply. I ventured to point out to him that if the report is sent simultaneously to the French and American Governments there is bound to be a certain delay in its reaching Washington during which period you are at a disadvantage in dealing with any inquiries or press comments. I inquired whether he could let me have an advance draft or summary which I could send to Washington now. In his anxiety to maintain secrecy as to the contents of the report, he has been working with only one copy but he has just had another made for me with his authority to send it unofficially for the strictly confidential information of the President, yourself, and Welles. He feels that hopes of success are so largely indulged in on the observance of complete secrecy that he asks me to impress upon you his request that the document and the moves connected with its preparation be kept entirely secret until the arrival of the official copy which will be despatched shortly before Christmas.
He says that he has sought so far as possible to embody in the report the suggestions he gathered in Washington; that the present text is not the final draft and will still require alterations; that if you have any further suggestions to make he would like to receive them by telegraph as soon as possible.
The report runs to 33 foolscap pages and in view of the fact that it has been prepared in the briefest possible form, Van Zeeland agrees with me that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to reduce it still further in digest form for the purpose of telegraphing. If therefore you wish to receive the entire text by telegraph without awaiting the mail copy (which I shall endeavor to get off by a special pouch on the Aquitania December 15) I would suggest sending it to London or Paris for coding as the Embassy here is not equipped for dealing with the task expeditiously. I have started translating the document so as to be ready to act as promptly as possible on receipt of your instructions.