LETTER TO THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY FROM B.G.H. VANDERJAGT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R000700050014-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 25, 2003
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: August 22, 1956
• Content Type: LETTER

66
Approved For Release 20113/05/05: CIA-RDP80ROl731 R000 WRQ 91956 STAT
THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCYactMsNT %c.
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR NO :iANVE IN CLASS.
WASHINGTON. 25.D. C. GUS"!,
#;r TG: TS S C
P XT REVIEW DATES
AUTH: HR 10.2
-Mal Dear Sire ArEs 12 REVIEWE& .J
STAT
STAT
Reading the latest developments in the Suez Canal Story,may I write
you another story which happened some years ago in Washington.D.C.and
of which I can gibe you sufficient proofs.
India-and Pakistan did not go on so well together.Pakistan had all
the jute and India had all the spindles but which,without xxt jute were
just chunks of steel.
Pakistan wanted dollars for the jute which India had not and thus
most of the jute mills in Calcutta were idle and the workers could not
even make the few annals on which they were normally starving.There was
rioting and a lot of people were killed.There threatened even & -war which
could declench a-gen.eral war in the East.
Behind Pakistan however was-something else
Thus-I went to the Indian Embassy and told them that I could finish that
thing in a very short time.T he only thing they had to do to was=to place
an add in the Calcutta-Statesman that some of the jute mills intended
to start to spin coconut fiber of which India has 1 million tons going
to waste and the rest is handspun.This had been done in Europe and could
be done in Calcutta.
I made or was-asked to make a-set of 6 samples.Mrs.Pandit did not
occppy herself directly with the affair but the Indian Agency' a chief
in New York handled this and the First and Second Secretaries here,
Shortly after there was-a conference between Mr.Nehru and All. Khan
and as~I was-told,My samples were-on the conference table.Well,Mr.Nehru
got his jute and I got nothing because-Mr.Gandhi wanted the coconut fiber
spun by hand as it had been dome for 50 centuries.
Things have changed to some extent.What was-behind Pakistan is>not
more so sure and under the present conditions would probably like anyhow
to get from under the jute-domination at the other side of the Suez Canal.
Nehrp could not only strangle Europe with jute but you have only to look
in-that kind of fiber situation here in the U.S.A.to understand that
Nehru siding with the Russians and Nasser could strngle many thinge.As
your Agency must know,the ' kenaf " fiber business in which the U.S.
Government spent millions was-a-complete flop.In 1940 I told the Depart-
ment of Agriculture that this would never go and neither their American
hemp business which was not only a?' flop but also a 'scandal,covered up.
There are-two things which could set Mr.Nehru and the Arabian oil
royalty receivers meditating.Also about Suez.
Place an article in the London Times that it is anticipated to
start tm in view'of the critical situati.on,t.t spinning of coconut
fiber.And this is not altogether out of thin air,as just this afternoon
I received a telegram from Manila(and which your Agency probably coul(r
ask up,and for which it has my permission)if -I am still willing on-the
conditions fixed more than a--'year ago to come to Manila and start then--
coconut fiber pinning mill for which the Japanese will furnish the-
machineryApp'8v Flo elms 10%)b5M~rtIA D q7 1Pb0+1M 50014-9 +~
 Approved For Release 2003/05/05?'CIA-RDP80R01731 R000700050014-9
T doubt however if the Japanese could deliver good machinery in a~
short time but England and France could do this.
There is 1 million tons of coconut fiber going to waste in the
Philippines,the only country in the Far East where we are not hated
altogether.
But England has in Jamaica and Trinidad some 50000 tons of coirfiber
which could be exploited.
Please keep in mind that more than 1/3 of the-Indian export is by
lute.
Coir fiber would not replace all the jute but at least 50 % of it
and it is far cheaper and fpr lots of purposes-,even better.
At the same time it would ruin completely the Indian handspun coir
yarn industry.
In former years the resistance-against coconut fiber spinning has
been such that it was impossible for me to go ahead,though repeatedly
I warned the people in the :Pentagon what one day could happen,but big
American fiber interest whicg are for a great deal British made my fiber
existence an impossibility.
Even disclosing to you in this letter what is-at present happening
in the Far East,Japan,which needs new iindustries= and also the Philippines,
in order to raise-the standard of living of their peoplemay result in
wrecking my own possibilities. r. N0TO'iC'4
But if that would be at the possibility to let sing Mr.Nehru atxztar
song I would gladly accept my social security.
This as far as the jute goes.And for which if you wish I can furnish
all the proofs.
About the Arabian Oil royalty receivers,it might be handy to hint
in the newspapers that the acreage of sugarbeet in the U.S.A.will be-
greatly extended.
In France,before the second world war I ran my He ~chkiss 6 cylinder
very heavy automobile on 50 % gas-and 50 % alcohol and with another dis-
tributor just as economical and good as with pure gasoline.
Some of the oil companies whose= possessions--.will anyhow be nationalized
when Mr.Nasser succeeds,may not like the system of"mixing alcohol with
gas,but it might be possible that it would stave off the present row in
the Mid-East if handled somewhat cleverly and give Mr.Dulles in London
some better trump cards in his hands as-he has now.
It might be practical.
About the coconut fiber spinning I may mention that the French Government
awarded me the distinction of the Legion dtfionneur in 1937.Later on the
British finished the results but may sing now another tune.
There is however something else-Yesterday I was-11 years of-age-.I could
still build coconut fiber factories but with the whole-,fiber world againet
me also in the Philippines were you can easely get an accident in a-
way or another,I am not so young anymore to fight also that battle.
In the Pentagon pnd in the Department of Agriculture they know me
very well and if they start all sort of tz stories and resistance-though
I may make about 200.000 roughly on the Philippine business?ras=consul-
ting engineer I would cable that mpd health did not allow me th come in
the next weeks to Japan and Mani&i:
I understand that it would be awfully hard to answer on this letter,
but your great Agency may find means to give me at least one hint in"a'y
direction and think it over. Verzv truly yours .
Approved For Release 2003/05/05: CIA-RBMQF,[ 17 ff4