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Show Bevin, Cripps Sail for U. S. SOUTHAMPTON. England. Aug. 31 Britain'! foreign minuter min-uter and chancellor of the exchequer ex-chequer left Wednesday for the Washington financial conference, which they regarded ae "probably one of the moat Important missions mis-sions In history." Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin and Sir Stafford Crtpps. chancellor chancel-lor of the exchequer, sailed aboard the liner Mauretanla. They will proceed to" Washington for the Anglo-American-Canadian talks on the economic salvation of Greet Britain. Their departure coincided with reports In financial qusrters that British overseas customers hsd canceled orders for British goods because of rumors that the pound would be devalued. The aame sources reported a disruption of trade on the continent and widespread wide-spread speculation In British currency. cur-rency. Just before he boarded the train for Southampton, Cripps was ssked in London to comment on the devaluation rumors. "No, not now," was all he would say. Cripps was reported to have won cabinet approval of hie adamant stand agslnst devaluation of the pound when the ministers met to msp strategy for the Washington conference. But a way was understood un-derstood to hsve been left open for possible devaluation, as a tie in feature of any broader, over-all program for economic rehabilitation. |