February 2, 1950
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION WITH SECRETARY BRANNAN
Secretary Brannan telephoned me today to see whether the Department thought there would be any adverse international results from the Department of Agriculture's decision to dump potatoes. The operation will consist of allowing the potatoes to stay in Maine and rot on the ground. He reminded me that when this was done in 1947 the Soviets made a lot of propaganda out of it and took a lot of photographs. Their line was the alleged failure of democracy, which would allow food to go to waste in the face of starvation throughout the world. Secretary Brannan thought we should know of this in advance in the event we wanted to take preparatory measures; or he thought it might be serious enough from our point of view that we would want to advise against the dumping.
I said I was sure the last would not be necessary, but that I was most appreciative of his warning in this matter and that I would alert our people. I said they would get on to the problem and asked him whom they should call at the Department of Agriculture. He said Mr. Wesley McCune was the person.
Dean Acheson
S:BE