855.24/10–1945
The Secretary of State to the Belgian Ambassador (Silvercruys)
Excellency: I wish to inform you that the United States Government proposes that the civilian supplies from U.S. sources delivered [Page 113] to your country by the combined military authorities during the months of July and August 1945 will be furnished to your Government under the lend-lease agreement between your Government and the United States, and that the value of such supplies will be included in the settlement to be reached with respect to lend-lease and reciprocal aid.
The procedure for effectuating the transfer of these supplies on a lend-lease basis will be as follows:
In accordance with a note from the Secretary of State to you dated April 4, 1945,53 your Government will be billed from time to time in U. S. dollars for the total value of civilian supplies delivered to your Government from all sources by the combined military authorities. Subsequent notifications will indicate what portion of the total amount billed is actually to be paid to the U. S. Treasury in U.S. dollars, and what portions are to be paid in the respective currencies of the other contributing governments which have furnished supplies for delivery by the combined military authorities. Your Government will not, however, be required, at the time of presentation of the bill, to pay such portion of the amounts billed to you for payment in U. S. dollars as is equivalent to the value, as computed by U. S. authorities, of the civilian supplies from U. S. sources delivered to your country in the months of July and August 1945. Accordingly, you will be notified of the value of such supplies, after the bills have been received by your Government.
Civilian supplies received by you from U. S. sources under the auspices of the combined military authorities in July and August will be included in the final lend-lease settlement to be arrived at between our respective countries.
Accept [etc.]
[File copy not signed]
- Not printed; for substance, see telegram 1339, April 4, 6 p.m., to Paris, vol. ii, p. 1084.↩