Allied Maritime Transport Council
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The Allied Maritime Transport Council (AMTC) was an international agency created during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
to coordinate shipping between the allied powers of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The council (based in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
) was formed at a conference in Paris on 3 November 1917, in response to the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare earlier that year. The United States formally joined the AMTC only on October 1, 1918. The Transport Council existed until March 1919, when it was merged with the Supreme Economic Council. Its executive committees were disbanded.


Prelude

In January 1917 the Inter-Allied Shipping Committee was established with representatives from Great Britain, France, and Italy. However this body was ineffective lacking ministerial input for policy development or suitable officials to organise either shipping or supplies. Russia was not involved – shipping issues as regards this country being followed in a different basis. By the time the AMTC was established the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
had occurred, and therefore Russia was not involved. However with the
American entry into World War I The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Europe. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and an a ...
on 2 April 1917 and increasing problems in handling supplies particularly in France and Italy made re-organisation essential. The system of control was based on that previously developed in the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. Originally Italy had adopted a similar system by Royal Decree in 1915, where by ships were requisitioned for a period of time at a fixed rate of hire to carry Government cargoes. The owner was responsible for recruiting and paying the crew, with the Government paying the running expenses and managing the vessel. This was altered in January 1916 for a system whereby the ship owners were paid per tonnage delivered. However with 90% of the supplies consisting of cereals and coal this very soon led to shortages in both these areas and so the government returned to the requisitioning system. France had a more varied range of imports and did not face serious shortages until later. Some ships were requisitioned on a bare-boat basis – where the Government recruited and supplied the crew, a somewhat inefficient charter system with much trade continuing on a pre-war basis. However the British Time-charter requisitioning method was gradually introduced and the Minister of Commerce was exercising full control over French supplies by the time the AMTC was established. The USA introduced a requisitioning system in 1917, however paying increased costs. With the requirements which arose from shipping the Army to Europe, quite drastic steps were taken to organise control. Restrictions on imports were more exercised by policy decisions than control of shipping. In general the US did not face shortages, however public appeals were made for citizens to voluntarily reduce consumption so that goods could be sent to Europe. For example an appeal issued by the newly founded United States Food Administration for the public to eat more maize bread was successful, and more wheat could be exported to their European allies. Also the War Purchase and Finance Board was established with an American chairman. This met in Paris and London to arrange the allocation of credits for American purchases.


Structure


The Council

Each nation appointed its respective ministers (or delegates) in charge of shipping to the council. The representatives were: * Robert Cecil and Sir Joseph Maclay for Great Britain; *
Étienne Clémentel Étienne Clémentel (; 11 January 1864 – 25 December 1936) was a French politician. He served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1900 to 1919 and as French Senator from 1920 to 1936. He also served as Minister of Colonies fro ...
and
Louis Loucheur Louis Loucheur (12 August 1872 in Roubaix, Nord – 22 November 1931 in Paris) was a French politician in the Third Republic, at first a member of the conservative Republican Federation, then of the Democratic Republican Alliance and of the I ...
for France; * Silvio Crespi and Salvatore Orlando, the latter replaced by Giovanni Villa in May 1918 for Italy; * Raymond B. Stevens and George Rublee (from July 1918) for the United States The Council held six meetings: * First Meeting of the Council, 11–14 March, 1918 * Second Meeting of the Council, Paris, 23–25 April, 1918 * Third Meeting of the Council, 29–30 August, 1918 * Fourth Meeting of the Council, 30 September, 1918 * Fifth Meeting of the Council, 1 February, 1919 * Sixth Meeting of the Council, 10 March, 1919


The Committees


Main Executive Committee

The AMTC had a Main Executive Committee chaired by James Arthur Salter alongside Jean Monnet, (France), Bernardo Attolico (Italy) with the later addition of George Rublee. Salter and Monnet called their business in the AMTC ‘international administration’. In more critical terms the Transport Council worked like a
cartel A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...
, just run by states, trying to eliminate the economic and logistic competition between the partners. So the organization tried to hold prices down, pooled the allied tonnage and coordinated the allied logistics with substantial rationalization effects. Their work was supported by three subcommittees, each responsible for reporting to the main committee


Tonnage Sub-Committee

The Tonnage Sub-Committee was responsible for implementing any decisions of the council concerning the co-operative use or programming of tonnage. It also gathered information about the amount and disposition of the tonnage under the control of each Ally and examined any proposals made by them as regards any improvements made by them in this area as well as doing their best to see that any agreed improvements were carried out. *M. Revillon (France). *Lieut. Farina (Italy). *Mr. Shearman (U.S.A.). *Mr. Browett (Great Britain).


Imports Sub-Committee

*M. Halgouet (France). * Bernardo Attolico (Italy) *
Dwight Morrow Dwight Whitney Morrow (January 11, 1873October 5, 1931) was an American businessman, diplomat, and politician, best known as the U.S. ambassador who improved U.S.–Mexico relations, mediating the religious conflict in Mexico known as the Crister ...
(U.S.A.).


Statistical Sub-Committee

*M. Seitert (France). *Signor Pardo (Italy). *Mr. J. A. Field (U.S.A.). * William Palin Elderton (Great Britain).


See also

* Wheat Executive


Bibliography

*James Arthur Salter:
Allied Shipping Control
', Oxford:Clarendon Press 1921. *Jean Monnet: ''Memoirs'', London 1978. * Marc McClure, "Earnest Endeavors: The Life and Public Work of George Rublee", Greenwood 2003.


External links

*{{cite book , title=World War I: A Student Encyclopedia , author=Spencer Tucker , year=2005 , isbn=1-85109-879-8


References

Military logistics of World War I 1917 establishments in France Defunct organisations based in London 1919 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Military logistics of the United Kingdom Military logistics of the United States Military logistics of France Military logistics of Italy