Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 61 Part 4.djvu/606

 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OTHER THAN TREATIES [61 STAT. Netherlands Embassy at Washington and the State Department, dated June 6,1945 and July 31, 1945. Under the new arrangement the 7 (c) ships were made available by the Netherlands Government at a nominal charter hire to either the United Kingdom Government or the United States Government. This arrangement was retroactive to specific dates on or about May 23, 1945, and from those dates, therefore, the United Kingdom Govern- ment had no obligation, with respect to these ships, to pay the charter hire stipulated in the June 5 Memorandum. Nevertheless, between the specific dates on or about May 23, 1945 and the establishment of the new arrangement, and for a short time thereafter while negotiations were being conducted, the administra- tive machinery for the payment of charter hire under the June 5 Memorandum continued to function as before, with the result that, in addition to payments owing with respect to ships remaining under the June 5 Memorandum, overpayments of dollar charter hire for the period ending August 31, 1945 in the amount of $1,487,056.95 (as shown by the statement certified by the Ministry of Transport dated October 25, 1946) were made by the United Kingdom Government to the Netherlands Government with respect to the 7 (c) ships and this same amount of dollars was paid under the Dollar Agreement by the United States Government to the United Kingdom Government with respect to the 7 (c) ships. These overpayments became in due course the subject of discussion among the three Governments concerned, and it has been understood that the United Kingdom Government would ask for repayment by the Netherlands Government of the amount overpaid by the United Kingdom Government to the Netherlands Government, and the United Kingdom Government would in turn repay to the United States Gov- ernment the amount overpaid by the United States Government to the United Kingdom Government. We understand that the United Kingdom Government has in fact asked the Netherlands Government for the repayment expected from the Netherlands Government. As you know from discussions which we have had with you of matters of common concern to the three Governments, the United States Government and the Netherlands Government are now nego- tiating an overall settlement of lend-lease and other war accounts. Because of undertakings which the Netherlands Government is pre- pared to give to the United States Government as part of this settle- ment, the United States Government desires to submit to your Govern- ment the following proposals with respect to the overpayment of charter hire arising by reason of the removal of the 7 (c) ships from the operation of the June 5 Memorandum during the 7 (c) period (which in each case commenced on a specific date on or about May 23, 1945 and ended on the date of redelivery to the Netherlands Govern- ment or March 2, 1946, whichever was the earlier):

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