Franklin D. Roosevelt to Winston Churchill (July 12, 1941)

by Franklin Delano Roosevelt

⁠TELEGRAM
TO: AMEMBASSY ⁠ July 12, 1941
⁠LONDON
⁠SECRET FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE FORMER NAVAL PERSON.
⁠WE HAVE HAD A THOROUGH REVIEW OF YOUR WHOLE TANK
SITUATION HERE DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS AND I CAN NOW
GIVE YOU THE FOLLOWING RESULTS.
⁠WE PLAN TO INCREASE OUR PEAK PRODUCTION OF OUR
MEDIUM TANK FROM 600 TO 1000 A MONTH REACHING THAT GOAL
BY APRIL 1, 1942. WE WILL BUILD 600 MEDIUM TANKS MORE
THAN WE HAD PLANNED PRIOR TO JANUARY 1. WE WILL INCREASE
OUR LIGHT TANK PRODUCTION BY 150 PER MONTH SO THAT WE
WILL HAVE 900 MORE LIGHT TANKS PRIOR TO JANUARY 1 than
WE HAD PLANNED. ASSUMING THESE SCHEDULES ARE MAINTAINED,
AND I BELIEVE THAT WILL BE, IT MEANS THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU
800 TO 1000 LIGHT TANKS AND 800 TO 1000 MEDIUM TANKS PRIOR
TO JANUARY 1. I WILL SEND YOU IN A FEW DAYS THE EXACT
SCHEDULING OF THESE.
⁠WE CAN ALSO AS OF AUGUST 1 START TRAINING 500 OF
YOU TANK CORPS MEN IN THIS COUNTRY IF YOU THINK THAT
WOULD BE HELPFUL. WILL YOU LET ME KNOW ABOUT THIS SOON
SO THAT WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS IMMEDIATELY.



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