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ANNEX II.
SUPPLIES FOR GREECE.
Memorandum by the Ministry of Supply,
The Stores which the Ministry of Supply has been called upon to provide for Greek military requirements have, for the most part, consisted of raw materials (such as shell and Bomb Steel, Brass and Copper and Chemicals), for the Greek Powder Factory. British orders on the Factory have been suspended, and it is now concentrating upon Greek Government orders.
where
One of the main items is the Shell Steel, of which 6,000 tons was urgently demanded and the future monthly requirements are estimated at some 2,500 tons. In this case, and that of other stores, there has been the greatest difficult, in getting specifications. these were easy, e... for 155 mm. sizes, which approximates to our 6" Shell Steel, suply was arranged early; in other cases, only after repeated application was enough detail obtained to enable Steel to be rolled. In these latter cases supply involves serious interference with the production of our own Shell Steel, in view of the comparatively small quantities of the special calibres involved. For this reason, and in view of the strain up.n the Ministry's allocation for Shell Steel, it is hoped that arrangements can be made for the Greeks to get future supplies direct from United States.
As regards the Brass and Copper material required, the difficulty of getting specifications has been such that we have had to work to some extent upon assumptions.
If arrangements are made as indicated above, for Shell Steel (and Air Bomb Steel) to be supplied from America, it is not thought (subject to shipping) that the problem of keeping the Greek Powder Factory going will be insuperable. We are not, however, in a position to spare more than 15% of the large monthly requirement of 1,000 tons T.N.T. which has been notified.
The grouping of the main calls upon us has been as under:-
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