Messersmith, G.S., Mexico City. To Sumner Welles, Washington.
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University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press
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Regrets bringing up Mexican railway rehabilitation again, but situation becoming critical; freight piling up north of Mexico City for want of motive power; War Production Board apparently holding up program now and war effort will suffer because of delay; Coordinator [of Inter-American Affairs] has named [Edward L.] Love, a vice president of Chase Bank to head program in Washington, and [Oliver M.] Stevens, of Missouri Pacific, to head mission in Mexico; both men have been in Mexico for several days and seem well qualified; fundamental question to be decided is method of financing; Mexican Government wants it done under Lend-Lease; gathered from Love Coordinator's Office thinking of 5 million dollars; too little to do a proper job; opposes doing makeshift job; Monterrey mill can supply 2,000 tons of rail a month which is all that can be laid in a month and still keep freight moving; U.S. would therefore not be called on to supply steel.