ABSTRACT
When the Second Quebec Conference convened on 11 September 1944 the Allies expected a German collapse within four months, followed by the defeat of Japan twelve to eighteen months later. Confronted with this timetable it became more vital than ever for the British to begin the difficult task of reconverting their economy to peacetime production. In the period intervening between 10 June and the start of the conference at Quebec British aims did not change. To understand what happened to British hopes and plans at the conference, and the subsequent reaction in Washington to its outcome, it is necessary to explain the different attitudes in the American Administration concerning economic assistance for Britain. The jurisdictional authority that Morgenthau sought proved to be an important matter.
