Mr. de Lantsheere, Chef de Cabinet of the Minister for Foreign
Affairs, who handed the Note and its enclosures to a member of my
staff, stated that the Belgian Government had included in its
request for tariff concessions all articles on which Belgian
producers had asked for concessions in the course of the preliminary
investigation conducted by the Foreign Office. Mr. de Lantsheere
intimated, however, that although the Belgian Government had
advanced 87 items on which tariff concessions were sought, his
Government would not push most of these requests in the forthcoming
negotiations. In view of the number of concessions requested, the
Embassy decided to cable to the Department only the most important
points in connection with the five concessions stressed by the
Belgian Foreign Office in enclosure
[Page 82]
No. 1 to its Note. In enclosure No. 2,17 the Belgian
Government has indicated to a certain extent the relative importance
which it attaches to the request for each individual concession. It
should be noted in addition that in enclosure No. 1 the Belgian
Government reserves to itself the right to present to the American
Government both before and during the negotiations additional
desiderata which it is not possible to specify definitely at the
present time.
In view of the fact that the Note from the Foreign Office was
received only 24 hours, approximately, before the closing of the
mail for the first fast steamer, the Majestic, the forty-page translation of the Note with its
enclosures was necessarily made with great speed, and in the work
emphasis has been laid on accuracy rather than on form.
[Subenclosure—Translation]
Memorandum Concerning the Tariff
Negotiations Between the United States and
Belgium
The Government of the King is happy that Belgium was the first
European country approached by the American Government as a
result of the initiative of President Roosevelt for the
commencement of negotiations which should result in a network of
commercial treaties bringing about reciprocal concessions. It
was one of the first to applaud this initiative and is persuaded
that it can contribute in a very favorable way to the recovery
of international commerce.
The gesture of President Roosevelt has been better understood in
Belgium than elsewhere, because it is altogether in a line with
the commercial policy followed up to the present by the Belgian
Government.
[Page 83]
The American
Government is not ignorant of all the efforts made by the
Belgian Government in the years which have elapsed since the War
to bring about a greater freedom of international exchange: it
is sufficient to cite its active participations in the Geneva
conferences with a view to concerted economic action, the
conclusion, with the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries,
of the Oslo Convention of Economic Rapprochement,19 finally the
initiative taken by the Belgian, Luxemburg and Netherlands
Governments in signing two year[s] ago the Ouchy Convention,
designed to lower gradually the economic barriers, and open to
the adhesion of all countries. All these efforts have met with
opposition or indifference on the part of most nations.
Moreover, the Belgian custom tariff is distinguished by its
moderation and, if it has been necessary at times to have
recourse to quotas, the Government of the King has done it
respecting, in so far as possible, the existing commercial
currents.
Belgium maintains with the United States of America important
commercial relations of which the commercial balance has been
for a long time largely favorable to the United States. Whether
one consults the American statistics or the Belgian statistics
it is clear that Belgium buys each year from America to an
amount almost double that which she sells to America. The
Belgium Government is an adversary of the system in which the
balance of trade ought to be exactly in equilibrium between
country and country; in its opinion that is a fallacious policy
which only aggravates the contraction of world commerce at a
time when all efforts are being made to develop these
international exchanges. However, it (the Belgium Government)
cannot refrain from remarking that the American importations
into the Belgo-Luxemburg Union benefit in general from a tariff
régime much more liberal than that which is applied to Belgian
products exported to the United States, that the disparity in
the balance of trade between the two countries is excessive. It
believes that its views coincide with those of the American
Government in wishing that this situation may be rectified by an
equal increase of purchases on both sides.
The Belgian Government must call attention again to the fact that
in spite of its small area and the unimportant total of its
population the Belgo-Luxemburg Union constitutes one of the best
markets both for raw materials exported from the United States
(grain, cotton, tobacco, gasoline), and for certain special
products of their industry (automobiles, typewriters). In
proportion to its population the Belgo-Luxemburg Union is, after
the Netherlands, the best client of the United States.
[Page 84]
For all these reasons the Government of the King hopes that the
Government of the United States is disposed to regard the
negotiations in a broad spirit of conciliation. It is ready, on
its side, to make every effort to satisfy the desiderata which
will be submitted to it.
The Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the honor to submit
to His Excellency Mr. Morris a note which, in accordance with
the agreement between the Government of the United States and
the Belgian Embassy at Washington, is destined to serve as an
introduction to the negotiations which should be undertaken in
the near future between the two countries. (Enclosure 2)
The desiderata set forth in this note have been gathered in the
course of an extensive inquiry in Belgium in both industrial and
agricultural circles interested in American markets. This note,
therefore, represents exactly the claims of Belgian industry and
agriculture in connection with the American customs tariff. The
Government of the King must indicate immediately that it
considers certain of the claims set forth as presenting an
especial importance: it reserves to itself the right to make
more precise this point in the course of the negotiations. As a
fair example and without having the enumeration considered as a
limitation, the Belgian Government mentions that the claims
relative to cement, glass, linen fabrics, leathers, sodium
phosphate …20 are particularly important in its eyes.
Furthermore, the Government of the King reserves to itself the
right to present to the American Government either before or
during the course of the negotiations other claims which it is
not possible for it to specify at the moment.
The Belgian Government must point out that the obstacles which
hinder the entry into the United States of Belgian products are
not all related to the tariff. Certain stipulations of the
American customs regulations constitute obstacles for Belgian
and Luxemburg articles which in certain cases are very annoying,
sometimes even prohibitive.
The Belgian Government is not ignorant of the fact that the
President of the United States has not received special powers
in this matter. The Government of the King, however, believes
that an amelioration of the conditions of the importation of
Belgian products could be attained by a more liberal and supple
application of the measures of which it is a question.
As this question presents a very great importance for
Belgo-Luxemburg exports to the United States the Belgian
Government counts on the fact that the American Government will
make an effort to give satisfaction,
[Page 85]
in so far as possible, to the desiderata
which are succinctly set forth in another note, likewise
enclosed herewith. (Enclosure 3.)
American legislation on the quarantine of horticultural products
(Quarantine Act) has resulted in the complete prohibition of the
entry into American territory of Belgian horticultural
products.
As this question presents for Belgium considerable importance the
Ministry for Foreign Affairs has believed it necessary to record
its claims in this manner in a separate note. (Enclosure 4.) The
Government of the King hopes that the Government of the United
States will find it possible in the future to apply the
legislation relative to the quarantine in a more liberal
spirit.
