Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1932, The British Commonwealth, Europe, Near East and Africa, Volume II

611.5231/719

The Chargé in Spain (Crosby) to the Acting Secretary of State

No. 695

Madrid, May 10, 1932.
[Received May 20.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith for the Department’s records the copy of my Note No. 405 of April 22, 1932, relative to the granting of most favored nation treatment to American products, as well as the copy of the list of articles for which we desire such treatment,²⁰ which I handed to the Undersecretary of State on April 23rd pursuant to your telegraphic instruction No. 27 of April 21, 2 p.m., 1932. I also enclose the copy and translation of the Minister’s reply, dated May 5, 1932, the receipt of which was reported in my telegram No. 36 of May 6, 5 p.m.

Respectfully yours,

Sheldon Leavitt Crosby

[Enclosure 1]

The American Chargé (Crosby) to the Spanish Minister of State (Zulueta)

No. 405

Madrid, April 22, 1932.

Excellency: Under instructions from my Government, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your courteous communication of April 6, 1932, delivered to Ambassador Laughlin. The American Government has given careful and sympathetic study to this communication and, while the proposal outlined therein presents certain difficulties from the point of view of American tariff policy my Government is naturally most anxious to terminate the present uncertainty that has been so damaging to the commercial interests of both countries, and has therefore authorized me to inform Your Excellency of its acceptance of the arrangement.

It is accordingly the understanding of the American Government that with respect to tariff treatment the Government of the Spanish Republic will henceforth and for such time as the American Government extends most favored nation treatment to Spanish products grant to all American products that may be specified by list submitted by the American Government to the Government of the Spanish Republic, the most favored nation treatment and the maximum benefits accorded by Spain to the similar products of other countries. The Government of the Spanish Republic also agrees to extend the same treatment and benefits to additional American products whenever notification in this sense shall subsequently be made to Spain by the American Government through the submission of further lists.

Accept [etc.]

Sheldon Leavitt Crosby

[Enclosure 2—Translation]

The Spanish Minister of State (Zulueta) to the American Chargé (Crosby)

C) E.U.3

Madrid, May 5, 1932.

My Dear Sir: In reply to your kind Note No. 405 of April 22nd last, transmitting to me a list of articles for which your Government requested the application of most-favored-nation treatment, I have the honor to point out to your illustrious attention that the Government of the Republic considers small the number of the titles included in the above mentioned list, since according to the Spanish Customs statistics, American imports into Spain include 800 titles of the Tariff. Although, as has been agreed, the Government of the United States may request at any time the inclusion in the list referred to of other titles which are of equal interest to it, it would appear convenient, and even to the advantage of North American imports, and in order to avoid continual and repeated representations, that the list to be established contain from its inception at least those articles which are of the greatest interest to the commerce of the United States in Spain.

At the same time, and although the Government of the Republic does not consider it necessary to determine the minimum customs duty actually in force under each title as the concession of most favored treatment implies the minimum tariff which may at any time be in force for the corresponding title, I should inform you that the list which you transmitted to me with the Note under acknowledgment contained some errors, and I therefore have the honor to enclose observations relative to the errors to which I refer.²¹

For the reasons set forth above permit me to suggest that you bring to the attention of your Government the feasibility of amplifying at this time the list in question thus avoiding, as I have previously stated, repeated and perhaps frequent inclusions therein.

I avail myself [etc.]

(By direction)

J. Gomez Ocerin

20. List not printed; it contains classification with respect to the following products: photographic and moving picture films; velocipedes, motorcycles, automobiles and parts; tires and tubes; silk yarns; hams; sulphur; citric acid.
21. Enclosure not printed.