Sent from U.K. Trade Commissioner (New Delhi)
16 Jun 1955
Description:

'CONFIDENTIAL

...

3. I discussed with Jones, the Canadian Commercial Secretary here, the possibility of setting up some sort of consortium as suggested by Patterson, which could handle requirements on behalf of all users and obviate the chaos which may ensue if all the demanding get into the racket at once. Jones was not at all keen on the suggestion that a consortium should be established. He has authority from Ottowa to discuss the matter but not to enter into any commitments. I gather the Canadians are rather annoyed with the Americans as they feel that they were completely let down by them at the time of the original ban and my impression is that they are afraid that since the Americans would be much the biggest purchasers, any consortium can only work to their advantage and in the case of an overall shortage then the other members would suffer. However I do not think the Canadians would rule out the idea of a consortium if everything else failed.

4. The American, Randolph, was also non-committal on the subject. He obviously did not want to express an opinion in advance of the arrival of the National Polio Foundation Representative who is due in Delhi to-day. He did mention that one of the problems from the American point of view was that while the demand for the National Polio Foundation could be handled fairly easily by one organisation, there were a number of smaller American demands by individual laboratories and Universities which would normally be handled by the ordinary animal dealers and which it would be very difficult to fit in with any regular scheme of things. Randolph was unable to confirm that Patterson had been appointed as sole agent for the National Polio Foundation and he also did not seem particularly happy about the consortium theory.

/5.'

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