CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN MR. D.F.W. RICKETT, DR. B.S. PLATT AND MR. S. CAINE. Note by the Joint Secretary.

You told me on the telephone yesterday that it was by no means certain that nuts of a suitable quality could not be obtained from West Africa and that it might be practicable to ship them to this country without the shells. You explained, however, that since the existing West African crop is taken up for crushing purposes, it might be necessary to expand production. You thought, however, that the Colonial Office would be quite keen for this to be done. I suggested that it might be worth while for you to get in touch with Clauson or Tempany and make sure that the decision of the Ministerial Committee was based on an accurate understanding of the facts as there seemed to be some discrepancy between what the Ministry of Food had told me and the position as you had understood it in your discussions with the Colonial Office.