550.S1 Economic Commission/96: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Geneva (Gilbert)
105. Our 103, October 9. When the next informal discussion regarding the possibility of an international copper agreement is held it may be helpful if you in as noncommittal a manner as possible call attention to the importance of reclaimed copper as an element in the future copper situation that will face producers throughout the world. According to experts that have been consulted here, almost all past production of copper is available for further use whenever the price warrants reclamation, and this will prove a limiting factor in the world’s demand for virgin copper for the future. This combined with the very large size of the potential production is an additional reason for considering an international agreement.