671.116/49: Telegram
The Minister in Rumania (Owsley) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 2—3:32 p.m.]
3. Following note dated March 1st received today:
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs2 has the honor to bring to the knowledge of the Legation of the United States of America on the basis of a communication from the Department of Industry and Commerce, the following: given the difficulties of Rumanian foreign trade and the deficit in the Rumanian trade balance with the United States, the said Department has found itself obliged to suspend authorizations for the importation of American merchandise pending the conclusion of an arrangement safe-guarding the interests of the two parties.”
Prohibition appears to have been put into effect early last month.
Whether compensation imports still permitted is not clear. Considerable American imports effected on that basis last year.
Similar notes have been addressed to Norway, Latvia and Japan, only other countries with which Rumania has unfavorable trade balances of more than 70,000 dollars and no special trade conventions.
Rumanian customs figures 1934 show American imports 544,000,000 lei,3 exports 16,000,000.