Catalogue description War Cabinet and Cabinet Office: Allied Supplies Executive: Correspondence and Papers

Following the German invasion of Russia on 22 June 1941, the British and American governments promised to extend substantial aid to the Soviet Union. At the Moscow Conference in September 1941, the Soviet requirements were formally stated and decisions were taken by the British and US representatives for meeting the Soviet supply needs. This was later extended to Turkey and China.

The Executive continued throughout the Second World War until September 1945 when much of its work was transferred to the Ministry of Production.

To implement the promises made at Moscow, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, set-up, on 15 October 1941, a Ministerial Committee to be known as the Allied Supplies Executive. Initially this was chaired by Lord Beaverbrook (Minister of Supply), with the other members being the Secretary of State for War (Lord Margesson) and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport (Colonel Llewellin). At Lord Beaverbrook's invitation, the Foreign Secretary (Anthony Eden) and the Secretary of State for Air (Sir Archibald Sinclair) also became members.

Following Lord Beaverbrook's resignation in December 1941, Eden became chairman in February 1942; he in turn was succeeded in June 1943 by Oliver Lyttelton (Minister of Production).

The Allied Supplies Executive, which took over the functions of the Committee for the Co-ordination of Allied Supplies, had the following terms of reference [see WP(G)(41)111 in CAB 67/9]: "To determine questions relating to military and civil supplies to Russia and the Persian Gulf area, including the improvement of communications in that area and the settlement of general priorities.... The Executive will also deal with miscellaneous questions remitted to them as to military and civil supplies to other Allied or friendly countries... ."

Sub-committees were also set-up to deal with transportation and supplies to other countries.

Supplies to the Soviet Union from October 1941 to June 1945 were regulated by four forward supply programmes: the first, second, third and fourth protocols. With the exception of the first protocol (which was concluded in October 1941 after the Moscow Conference), each protocol covered a period of twelve months from 1 July to 30 June, and set out the major commitments of military and civil supplies to be made available to the Soviet Union by Great Britain and the United States. In the third and fourth protocols, there were separate schedules for supplies on Canadian account under the provisions of the Mutual Aid Act.

In addition to supplies under the protocols, requests were made for other items (both military and civil); no distinction was made between protocol and non-protocol supplies. The difference between the two categories was that protocol supplies comprised items which the Russians wished to receive in continuous monthly quotas (e.g. tanks, aircraft, machine-tools), whereas non-protocol supplies were for the most part non-recurring orders, mainly for miscellaneous manufactured items.

The United Kingdom Commercial Corporation was the organisation dealing with civil supplies; military supplies were dealt with by a co-ordinating body in the War Office. Medical supplies were provided free by public subscriptions to charitable bodies, and clothing and comforts were provided from a government grant augmented by donations from charitable bodies.