Coordination of the Activities of the Government of the United States, Great Britain, France and Italy [Draft]

Title

Coordination of the Activities of the Government of the United States, Great Britain, France and Italy [Draft]

Creator

McCormick, Vance Criswell, 1872-1946

Identifier

WWP25059

Date

No date

Description

Draft of memorandum by McCormick, Hoover, and Baruch.

Source

Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers

Publisher

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum

Subject

World War, 1914-1918--United States
Allied Powers
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Correspondence

Contributor

Anna Phillips

Relation

WWP25058, WWP25060

Language

English

Provenance

Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.

Text

COORDINATION OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE AND ITALY.
************

1. The activities exclusive of military and naval in which joint action should be secured fall into the following groups:

(a) Finance
(b) Shipping
(c) Export and Import relations
(d) Foodstuffs
(e) Raw Materials or manufactured or partly manufactured products exclusive of foodstuffs.

2. Each of these groups is at present organized in the four governments, where ministers are charged with the formulation of national programs. Responsibility for the formulation and execution of a common program for the four countries will naturally be vested in these same ministers. By “Ministers” is meant the departmental head responsible directly to the President or the Ministries of the respective governments, whether called ministers, secretaries, departmental heads, chairmen of boards or by whatever title.

3. Where the subject matter to be dealt with is intricate, voluminous or in need of continuous attention, the ministers should appoint representatives to sit upon committees or “executives” charged with making studies upon which the ministers are to formulate a common program, and that these committees or “executives” should be charged with the carrying out of such programs as have been adopted by the ministers upon this recommendation.

4. It being the primary object of this method of conference to insure better cooperation in activities which have to do with the provision of supplies, programs should primarily be formed by or under the direction of the ministers representing foodstuffs, raw materials and manufactured or partly manufactured products. The formulation of common programs in these matters will be limited to cases,

(a) Where two or more governments are interested in supplies which must be transported over seas to supplement deficiencies in local production; or,

(b) Where the several sources of supply should be agreed upon and the distribution or utilization; or,

(c) Where there might without agreement be competition between governments in procuring supplies or a wasteful duplication of productive effort.

5. When provisional programs respecting the commodities mentioned in paragraph four above and subject to the limitations therein specified have been determined upon by the ministers in charge of such commodities such programs will be;

(a) Coordinated with finance through the Inter-Allied Commission.

(b) Coordinated with shipping through the Inter-Allied Maritime Council.

(c) Coordinated with export and import relations through an Inter-Allied body made up of the heads or representatives of the United States War Trade Board and similar departments of the other three governments.

6. If it is impossible to secure acceptance of a program by the various ministers, the difference of opinion must be submitted to the President of the U.S. and the three allied Premiers for final determination.

7. ILLUSTRATION: Thus Cereal needs of the three importing countries France, England and Italy, will be considered, first, by the Cereal “Executive” and recommendations submitted for approval to the four food ministers. A provisional program will then be adopted by these ministers which will be submitted to the corresponding ministers dealing with finance, shipping and export and import relations. After approval by these ministers, the finally determined program will be turned over to the cereal executive for execution, in such manner and through such agencies as ministers may determine.

8. In the event that the Ministers in charge of any of the five groups of activities here dealt with, feel that the formulation of programs is delayed or rendered difficult by a geographical separation of such ministers which cannot be obviated consistently with the other duties of such ministers, then any such minister may appoint a personal representative to sit at a foreign capital. This representative may exercise such control as the minister may determine over the minister’s appointees on “executives” sitting at such capital.

Original Format

Memorandum

To

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/WWI1050A.pdf

Collection

Citation

McCormick, Vance Criswell, 1872-1946, “Coordination of the Activities of the Government of the United States, Great Britain, France and Italy [Draft],” No date, WWP25059, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.