SWEDISH BALLBEARINGS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1944, Page 5

SWEDISH BALLBEARINGS

U.S.A. OFFER TO PURCHASE. NEW YORK. May 16. Mr. Stanton Griffis, the special representative of the United Slates Foreign Economic Administration m Sweden, has been authorised to purchase all the ball-bearings produced by the Swedish S.K.F. Trust in a move to cut oft’ shipments to Germany, says the Washington correspondent ol the United Press. Mr. Griffis, who has been authorised to spend 30,000,000 dollars, is negotiating directly with the Swedish manufacturers rather than the Swedish Government. The pressure on the S.K.F. is part ol the Anglo-American campaign to persuade Sweden to cease trading with Germanv. Meanwhile, the United States Chief of Staff (General George Marshall) >s reported to have requested American civilian war agencies to make sweeping' investigation of S.K.F. industries, odPhiladelphia, an American subsidiary of the- Swedish S.K.F., with, a view to seizing the company in the event al evidence bemg uncovered ol German control ol fm :l>ly Swedish enterpri-.c, "Kvissia is co-operating wnii initain and America in diplomatic eilorls, re I nforced by the possibility <<f strong economic measures, to prevent Sweden sending ball-bearings to Germany,” says the Washington correspondent of the Associated Press. RUSSIAN CO-OPERATION NEW YORK, May 16. The Associated Press Washington correspondent says that Russia is cooperating with Britain and America in diplomatic efforts, reinforced by the possibility of strong economic measures, to prevent Sweden sending ball bearings to Germany. Russian participation is considered highly significant, both because of Russia's geographical position relating to Sweden and because it indicates the extent to which British-American-Rus-sian diplomacy is correlated, at least in preparation for invasion.'