The main problem for Monnet in negotiating lend-lease for France was the lack of recognition for the FCNL, the US when granting the terms for lend-lease inserted more restrictive measures for France than for any other country, this caused a lot of problems. The reason for such restrictions were probably based on Roosevelt's dislike of de Gaulle, and the possibility that the CFNL if it became the de facto Government of France, could lead to a dictatorship evolving in France. In September 1943 a modus vivendi was signed by Monnet and American officials, whereby the CFNL would pay cash for civil imports, Monnet swallowed his pride and signed. His hopes were raised with the establishment of UNRRA, where it was decided at its first meeting that relief should be confined to bare essentials but funded by lend-lease and organised by the Combined Boards. Monnet following this decision went to Washington with Herve Alphand and Robert Marjolin to negotiate, on arrival he found that the US and British had decided to determine themselves the civil supply requirements of France with recourse to CFNL. Monnet began to work on his old connections in Washington to ensure that French interests be taken into consideration when drawing up estimates of French civilian supply needs, he contacted John McCloy, Combined Civil Affairs Board Chairman, Oscar Cox, General Counsel of FEA and William Clayton and Harry Hopkins. Furthermore as the war continued into early 1944, came the realisation that the Allies would need CFNL to administer all combat zones, therefore they would need to recognise it as the de facto Government. Roosevelt refuse initially, but eventually the need to deal with a civil authority in France won the day, and in July 1944 he publically recognised the CFNL. After tensions on the issue of French currency, Monnet was recalled by de Gaulle to Algiers, he subsequently lost his seat in the Comité when the Provisional Government, GPRF moved to Paris, but continued to deal with US on civil supply matters as Chairman of a Committee for Imports. In the second lend-lease agreement which he negotiated with US, Monnet managed to have the restrictive measures of 1943 agreement reversed, with granting of supply of industrial equipment on long term credit on easy terms. Roosevelt in an Anglo-American Summit had originally objected to this, with the backing of HenryMorgenthau and Winston Churchill, September 1944, because of amount of French gold supplies in reserve. But the ha

The originals are held in various Archives in Europe and in the USA

NO PHOTOCOPYING