Series Executive Offices - Office of the Diplomatic Adviser - Country Files - S-1553

On 1 January 1944, UNRRA hired a "Political Adviser", in order to "advise on relations with governments and international organizations". On 16 January 1944, the title of this office was changed to "Diplomatic Adviser". The office was under the immediate supervision of the Director-General, its internal organization consisting of, in addition to the Diplomatic Adviser, one or two Assistant Diplomatic Advisers, one or two Assistants to the Diplomatic Adviser, and a Political Analyst. The Diplomatic Adviser's Office had no special representative attached to the European Regional Office.
In brief, the activities of the Office of the Diplomatic Adviser included the following:
To advise the Director-General and other officials in the Administration on all international political questions and negotiations with governments and to assist in the development of a policy in these fields.
To participate in the preparatory stages of the negotiations with governments relative to the initiation of projects and operations in particular countries, to obtain governmental sanction for exploratory or more permanent operating missions of UNRRA and to assist in the framing of agreements and drawing up of formal international instruments.
To follow developments abroad which might affect the operations of UNRRA.
To maintain continual liaison with the foreign diplomatic representatives in Washington and furnish opportunities for the discussion of the whole range of UNRRA's activities, from general questions of policy to innumerable points of detail.
To maintain liaison with the United States Congress and the State Department on such matters as appropriations, immunities and personnel.
To arrange with governments for the proper means of communications, and to draft or initial all important formal notes and telegrams to heads of states, ministers of foreign affairs, and chiefs of Diplomatic Missions in Washington. All correspondence of a political or diplomatic nature had to be cleared through or coordinated by the Diplomatic Adviser's Office.
To extract contributions from non-invaded countries and to assist the Chairman of the UN Committee of UNRRA with the drafting of cables to foreign governments asking them to implement the pertinent Council Resolutions regarding contributions.
To plan and organize Diplomatic UNRRA Missions to contributing member governments, explain the purpose of the mission to the respective diplomatic representatives in Washington, build up support for the Administration and to keep those countries informed of their duties and obligations to UNRRA.
To assist in the recruitment of qualified international personnel and to secure necessary visas and passports for such personnel.
To advise the Office of Public Information in order to clarify for the public the position of UNRRA.