William Cox Redfield to Woodrow Wilson

My dear Mr. President
I was very much interested in your suggestion at the last Cabinet Meeting that the Secretary of the Treasury was making up a plan for what I understood to be combined purchasing by our government and the allied governments. I have since understood from others of my colleagues that the matter has been given a great deal of thought and is perhaps maturing into effect.

It seems, however, not to have occurred to anyone to confer with any representative of the Department of Commerce in connection with the matter although this Department is more closely in touch with the inward movement of necessary government purchases abroad than any other and is also in constant touch with our exports. For example, we are in immediate touch with the British Embassy on the subject of pig tin coming in from abroad and on the subject of other purchases going out to that government from here. We are in close relation also to the importations of ferro-manganese through the British authorities from England and of manganese ore from Brazil, and are consulted by the Canadian and British authorities on the outward movement of tin cans to supply containers for the allied troops in the field. In fact I venture to think that there is probably no other Department with which these matters are more constantly familiar.
Would it not be well, therefore, to have in some small measure an opportunity afforded to the Department of Commerce to offer any suggestions that may occur to it and for this purpose to have knowledge of the plans proposed before they reach finality?

Yours very truly,
William C. Redfield
Secretary.



The President,
The White House.