Interallied Cooperation

Abstract

The long duration of the war with its ever-rising requirements of supply drove the Allied Powers to coordinate their economic activities in many spheres. The toll of merchant shipping taken by the German submarines, for example, produced shortages necessitating cooperation in the allocation of shipping tonnage. Similarly, cooperation in foreign purchasing helped to assure that the requirements of all were reasonably well met and that competitive bidding for scarce products did not needlessly drive up prices. One example of interallied cooperation is provided by the activities of the Wheat Executive, created in November, 1916. The text of the agreement establishing the Wheat Executive is given below.