RUSSIAN HELP IN FOOD CRISIS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24882, 23 May 1946, Page 5

RUSSIAN HELP IN FOOD CRISIS

STALIN REPLIES TO TRUMAN GRAIN PROPOSAL NEEDS «SPECIAL STUDY” (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON. May 22. The Moscow radio last night broadcast Mr Stalin’s reply to the recent letter from President Truman on the world food crisis. Mr Stalin expressed regret that Mr Truman’s appeal had not been made three months earlier, when Russia might have done something about joining the international efforts to solve the food crisis. Instead, the appeal did not come until mid-way, when the Soviet Government had already committed itself to sending large quantities of food to France and other countries, and when the Soviet Union’s resources were already decreasing. Mr Stalin informed Mr Truman that the Soviet Government had no objection in principle to the proposal to co-ordinate the work of the Soviet Union with that of other grain exporting countries, but that it would require special study. The radio summarised Mr Truman’s letter thus: “Some time ago Mr Stalin received from Mr Truman a message saying that there was at present a food crisis, and expressing the hope that the Soviet Government would assign to UNRRA a • certaih quantity of grain. Mr Truman also expressed the hope that the Soviet would be in a position to co-ordinate its action with other grain exporting epuntries for the better utilisation of grain resources.”