635.113 Lumber/9: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Argentina (White)
13. Your despatches 1463 and 1478, dated December 23 and December 30, 1931. If and when you make representations to the Argentine authorities you should be careful to avoid discussing as similar cases the tariff concessions granted by the Argentine Government to South American white pine lumber and the agreement reached by Argentina and Finland affecting birch ply-wood.
The position of this Government in these matters is governed by the Treaty of 1853. You are informed that Articles 3 and 4 of that Treaty are to be read together and are considered by the Department to be of a conditional and not unconditional most favored nation character. As the tariff concessions granted by Argentina to Finnish ply-wood were accorded in return for reciprocal concessions to certain Argentine products, the Department considers that the United States could demand similar treatment only in the event that it were prepared to grant equivalent tariff concessions to Argentina. On the other hand, the action taken by Argentina in respect of South American lumber was of a unilateral character and grounds, therefore, exist for demanding similar treatment for American lumber [Page 387] without offering equivalent concessions. However, in view of paragraph 401 of our own Tariff Act,12 you should avoid further representations on this latter point pending receipt of further instructions which follow by mail.
- Of June 17, 1930; 46 Stat. 590.↩