‘File 28/42 Persian Gulf War Trade Bureau Reports’ [‎67v] (134/194)

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pqrt torpedoed in a huge flash of flame. Also saw 5 German submarins
off Dakar lying in shallow water together ; they could do nothing as
tney^had no'bombs.",
(ii) France .
(^.) go od sho r tage in Fra nce due to ;dr yn ess_of
increased G-orman demands - A talegrain from France. Libre, London,
to GouverneUr-SonvinT Pondicherry, -stated that irom inforrmation ;
obtained' from the most serious sources in France, it was obvious
that the feed situation in that country for the fourth winter oi
the war would be extremely serious, chiefly on, account of the ex
cessive dryntes of the : summer and increase of .German aemanas. ine
grain harvestLwas expected to be 50 million quintals of which Germany
was taking 8 a& against 5 in 1941,_whereas befpre the war iranee
herself consumed, more than 80 million* Exhaustion of the cattle nau
extremely diminished the butter production and there was a oeiicit oi
44,000 tons in animal fats in relation to the quantity necessary tor
the present rations 1 * Pearly all condensed milk > had. been-commandeered
for the German army and it was feared that babies would go short.
The' fodder harvest w&s only half of last yeafs and Germany would
take 50/o of this. Consequently many cattle yvould be slaughtered ana
presumably the Germans would acquire considerable quantities oi
meat at low prices and store it’for their winter campaign. There was
a great development in the Black llarket, high Vichy functionaries
who had made large profits benefitting from this.
(b)'Palrwrah fibre .fr om Indi a via Switzerla nd - A' letter dated
19.8.42 from Volkart Bros7 ? wlntertBur, to V 9 Ikart Bros., Karachi, ^
gave a list of the writers outstanding invoices, one of which
related to 80 bales of palmyrah fibre {valued atF.fr. 63730.50) per
S.S. ’’Toensbergfjord H 'v/hich was shipped, from India on 11.4.42 and
re-exported to France.
(iii) Switzerland.
' Tea...from India to Switzerland via Lis bo n - A letter from Lipton
Ltd.i Bombay, to M/s'Delagoa Bay Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. Co., Lourenco Marques,
(intercepted on 2.10.42), contained documents referring to'60 cases
of tea snipped on the ’’Psipingo" to Lisbon; ultimate consignee M/s
Auj; Planteurs Reunis, Route Bel-Air 1, Lausanne, Switzerland.
(iv) T urkey - \ ■'
Op ium - offer to U.SiA y - A letter from Sisag ve Jiraye Simpadysn,
IstanbuIT to M/s. Levant A geographical area corresponding to the region around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. . American Commercial Qo.,' New York, .dated.
22.7.42,stated that, as the addressees probably knew-, the sale of
opiam in Turkey was now Government.monopoly. The writers stated that:
a New York business house had for many years bed*/buying opium
in the Turkish market on account, of the Peruvian'Government, Shipments
had been made via Hamburg, New York to Calao-, the many transhipments
were probably in order to conceal the ultimate destination. The ^
writers went on to say that they were ready to enter into any
similar transaction should the addressees rind a buyer or try to
identify whoever had. acted for the Government of Per.uy They added
that quite recently 30 tons of opium had been purchased for the
said government and a special steamer sent from Egypt to take delivery
of it from" Alexandretta. : M'-
(v) Palesti ne
Ski ns fro m Indi a via Ku wait - Below is quoted the text of ci.
telegram dated 6*10.42 from CBaloi^oiei 1 , Karachi, 00 bhalomoieYi,
280 Measheorim Street, Jerusalem:-
"Delivered Eastern Express ten bios 2520 skins Kuwaio shipment
this week stop twentylive bales Kuwait-despatched eleventh
stop have order for" eight thousand skins Muitaii BoriycriOil
buying there, stop carpets shipment impossible, till lurcher
order." . -