The United Nations shipping pool, greatest transportation enterprise in history, was breaking up. Seventeen seafaring nations, whose merchantmen had carried the war-winning cargoes, gathered this week in London to plan the demise of the United Maritime Authority (due to expire March 2) and decide what part of the common effort for war should be turned to the common tasks of reconstruction.
Their most urgent problem was to move enormous amounts of relief and rehabilitation supplies (some sent by UNRRA, some purchased by foreign governments) to ravaged countries. At least twelve million tons of grain, nine million tons of coal must reach Europe...