WHITEHALL 3U00
Bridges is
War Cabinet Paper,
July, 19W, headed
States of America."
War Cabinet Paper,
July, 19U1, dealing
question.
55 9 WK^taLS.
31st July, 1941.
sending over by this hag a copy of a
19/10/125/1, Paper No. 3, of the 30th
"Technical Assistance from the United
This will "be sent at the same time as
19/10/125/1, Paper No. 2, of the 30th
with a different aspect of the same
My document, Paper No. 3, is the result of
conversations I had, with the assent of the Minister of
Labour and National Service and other Ministers concerned,
with Mr. Harry Hopkins and Mr. Harriman about a plan favoured
by Mr. Hopkins, which envisages the formation by the
United States Government of something corresponding to our
Civilian Technical Corps and which, we gather, has been a
failure.   I myself am concerned in this matter mainly from
the point of view of skilled personnel for radio, ni^ht
fighting and so forth.   The demands for Radio Mechanics
are increasing and our own resources of the right kind of
personnel are drying up»
Consequently the failure of the plan for the
Civilian Technical Corps is a very severe blow, and if the
scheme favoured by Mr. Hopkins were successful, it would be
an immensely important contribution to the solution of our
difficulties.
I had a talk with Mr. Harriman just before he left,
and Paper No. 3 includes a summary. Notwithstanding
Mr. Harriman's observation recorded at the end of the summary,
it is clear that, whereas Paper No. 2, so far as it is to be
implemented, will have to be followed up in detail in London,
negotiations resulting from my paper, No. 3» will have to
be pursued in Washington.   It is evident that the formation
of an American Civilian Technical Corps, possibly as a branch
of the existing American Civilian Conservation Corps, is a
matter entirely for the initiative of the United States
Government.   Our people in Washington however, who have been
The Rt. Hon. Viscount Halifax, K.G
Y/orklng
working on our own Civilian Technical Corps, could render
a great deal of assistance.   For example, part of the
regulations drawn up for our Civilian Technical Corps
could probably "be adapted mutatis mutandis to the American
plan.
Mr. Harriman suggested to me that we should at once
inform the Embassy of what had happened, and that you, or
your representatives, should get into touch with Mr. Hopkins
and himself on their arrival, and, in the case of Paper No.3
at any rate, continue the conversations begun in London.
I ought to mention that we arranged that the
Air Ministry should undertake responsibility for the
British end of the negotiations over the new proposal, and
that communications should pass through the same channels
as before.
With best wishes,