Announcement of a Mission to Iraq to Study the Country’s Economy and to Investigate Flood Control Projects in the Tigris and Euphrates

• FOB:"~HE PRESS JN'J:'El\UATlONAL BAl'.!X FOR RECOrTSTRtTC'UO?T A!:r,D ;DE'VEt,Ol?HENT Washin~ton May 27, 1949 The lnternational Bank for Reconstruction and Development is sending a mission to Iraq at the request of the Iraq Government to study the ~ountry•s econe>my a..i,"1.d to investigat~ flood control projects in the Tigr:is and Euphrates The ~issio~ will leave for Baghdad on May 29, and will be there for several weeks. It will consht of E. A. Bayne, a. loan officer; Willie.m G. i·felk, /·· tli'~ ~~· s chi.sf economist for Africa and the l~Iiddle Fast; and Maj. Gen. Glen :W. '~dgerton, who has been retained as~ technical engineering adviser t-o the mission. For the past several days two representatives of the Iraq Gover.µ:ment have been in Washington discussing the mission w'-th Bank officials. 'J.1hey are H.E. Towfig al-Suwiddi, former Prime Minister and presently chief of the Iraq delegation to therUl7;.ited Mations; ~d H.E. Ali Momtayz, former Mtnister of Finance. General Ed!;erton, recently retired from tlJ;~/ Uni tea. States: Arf:y, will st,.1dy plans prepared by lraq Government agenc·i,~_E3-<_e;r1d adviso~J technical missio11s wh~ch. have been working on water c.onservancy problems, including flood control, irrigati,c·n, and hydro...electric power. General Edgerton has been Associate Administrator of tne t'fa.r Assets Administration, Director of the China Office of the United Uations Relief and Rehabilitation Admint$tration, and Presid.ent of the Beach Eros~on :Soard of the U. s, ,Ar!Qy E~1gineers Department.