Prior to our entry into the War, a number of Missions were
 
established in Washington by democratic governments all over the world
 
which had entered into Lend-Lease agreements with us. To meet the
 
requisitions presented by these missions, the production capacity of
 
the United States then converted to war purposes was taxed to the
 
limit, and we retained for our own use only meager training allotments.
 
December 7, we were at War. We were immediately obliged to dis-
 
patch munitions to our own forces in active theatres and to begin
 
equipping our own forces to ready them for the enormous battles that
 
must came. This created a sudden and new requirement for essential
 
munitions and compelled us in certain instances to secure equipment
 
manufactured in Great Britain for her own use, even while both of us
 
continued to send materials to other Allied Powers. Out of this
 
situation grew the Anglo-American Joint Staff, since the United
 
States insisted that all supplies should be pooled and allocated in
 
accordance with the general situation. We now had as much interest
 
in British supplies as they had in U. S. production.
 
           I fear that there may exist a rather general misunderstanding
 
concerning the functions and authority of this Anglo-American Joint
 
Staff  and its various subsidiary bodies including the Munitions
 
                                                                         -3-
 
 
DECLASSIFIED MAR 28 1973