The Acting Secretary of
State to Ambassador Meyer.
Department of State,
Washington, July 10,
1905.
No. 50.]
Sir: The Department has received and given
careful attention to your dispatch No. 16 of April 28 last, relating to
your interview with Mr. Timiryazeff, privy councilor and assistant to
the Russian minister of finance, respecting the removal of the
discriminating tariff duties to which certain American products are
subjected in that Empire.
* * * * * * *
If, and when, in your judgment, it shall appear that further efforts to
secure the unconditional removal of the existing discriminations to
which American export interests appear to be entitled will be
unavailing, you may, in accordance with the suggestion contained in the
[Page 805]
inclosed letter from the
Treasury Department, sound the Russian Government as to its willingness
to adjust existing differences by means of a commercial agreement with
the United States on the basis of section 3 of the tariff act of 1897. *
* *
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
The Secretary of the
Treasury to the Secretary of
State.
Treasury Department,
Washington, June 17,
1905.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, transmitting a copy of a
dispatch from the American ambassador to Russia relative to Russian
discriminative tariff treatment of certain products of the United
States.
As stated by the ambassador, the assessment of duty by the United
States on sugar and petroleum products was not made under a
revocable order of this Department by way of discrimination against
Russian commercial interests, but under mandatory provisions of law
in section 5 and paragraph 626 of the tariff act of July 24, 1897,
which apply alike to importations from all countries granting a
bounty on exportation or imposing a duty on petroleum or its
products from the United States.
* * * * * * *
The wish of the privy councilor, the ambassador adds, “was to build a
bridge, no matter how light, that we might cross in order to come
together,” and that “if the United States would make small
concessions Russia would make great ones.” In view thereof it is
suggested that section 3 of the tariff act of July 24, 1897, might
be made the basis of an agreement accomplishing the purpose in view,
although none of the articles on which a reduction of duty is
provided for in that section might be an important article of export
from Russia.
Respectfully,
