SOURCES OF AID NOW WITHDRAWN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 201, 25 August 1945, Page 5

SOURCES OF AID NOW WITHDRAWN

BRITISH POSITION

Conversations To Begin In

Washington N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 11 a.m. LONDON, Aug. 24. The Prime Minister, Mr. Attlee, explained that the system of lendlease in the United States, mutual aid from Canada and the accumulation of sterling by the sterling area countries had been an integral part of the Allies' war organisation. It had enabled Britain to mobilise her domestic manpower for the war with an intensity unsurpassed elsewhere and simultaneously to undertake expenditure abroad for the support of military operations over a widely-extended area without having to provide exports to pay for her imports of food and rawmaterials or to provide the cash she was spending abroad.

"The very fact that this was a right division between ourselves and our Allies leaves us, however, far worse off when the sources of assistance dry up than it leaves those who afforded us that assistance, said Mr. Attlee. "If the assigned to us had been to expand our exports to provide a large margin over our current needs which we could furnish free of charge to our Allies we should, of course, reconvert gradually, and the sudden cessation of the support on which our war organisation, so largely depended, has put, us in a very serious financial position.

Reciprocal liend-Lease

"We have not yet. had an. opporssnf srssfrT rigs sin! 1, * «"*. ? te &™rf Treasury representative in Washington has, however, received a etter from' the foreign Economic Administrator inviting us to entei immediate conversations to worK things ouf in a manner which will best promote our I am therefore, inviting our .AmoasLord Halifax, to return to Washington, accompamed by Lord Keynes, Mr. Brand, and officials or termination as lend-lease. Profound Shock For People from Mr. Churchill, came as a Syfth^ly o^^^ S a blT4S C th?Pu£ d here was not unduly Pfrturbed. gran ted that "It was taken tor ?™ the usual secret negoUaUons progressing and Uiw d . lease . would be substituted ioi plete i y We, in other words, were co^ rtlin | £SK5£Sf &*s£»>&% ?L le sn^sS?e\ a £f& there was no previous warning. wt "So deeply ing ram^ w S o fflcialdom of secrecy that even now omci refuses to supply quespublic. There can now £ fa tion of military secuutymvoi ossible the issue of the fuU % ir l stateinformation, nor is a * a fjected m*&*% XrfVftish and American relations. ' _