611.3531/108: Telegram
The Ambassador in Argentina (Bliss) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:04 p.m.]
104. Your 77, November 30, noon. In communicating to Minister of Finance informing him of the text of the modus vivendi with Chile, Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that in accordance with existing treaties the same concessions must be conceded to merchandise produced or manufactured in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Italy and France. French Ambassador in note to Minister of Foreign Affairs formally invoked article 1 of treaty 1852 [1853]42 but neither British nor Italian Embassies have made representations.
Learning that several European diplomats had formally requested similar treatment for imports from their countries, I called on Minister of Foreign Affairs November 24 requesting that concessions granted in modus vivendi be extended to importations from the United States. At his request I followed up my conversation by a note, copy forwarded to Department in my No. 1877, November 25. Minister has since told me he has referred my note to Ministry of Finance for consideration. I invoked article 4 of the treaty of 1853, pointing out that the reduction in duties provided in the modus vivendi had already [Page 690] been accorded to products of several countries other than Chile. Minister intimated that our treaty of 1853 did not provide unconditional most-favored-nation treatment.
In my opinion the conditional most-favored-nation treatment applies, under article 3, only to matters of commerce and navigation while article 4 specifically provides that no higher or other duties shall be imposed on importation into Argentina from the United States than on similar importations from other countries and vice versa.
Request Department’s instructions whether it desires me to press this point of view.
Dried fruit from the United States can not compete in this market with similar product from Italy and France under concessions of modus vivendi nor American sulphur with Chilean sulphur.
- Treaty between France and Argentina, signed July 10, 1853, A. J. H. and Jules de Clercq, Becueil des Traités de la France, tome vi, p. 377.↩