Please take such steps as may be appropriate to expedite the receipt of
Guatemala’s proposals and suggestions, and keep the Department fully
informed concerning all developments.
[Enclosure]
Text of “Aide-Mémoire” To Be Presented to the
Guatemalan Minister for Foreign Affairs
Attached to this memorandum is a Schedule listing certain commodities
exported by the United States to Guatemala on which the United
States is interested in obtaining concessions in connection with the
proposed trade agreement between the two countries.
[Page 586]
It will be noted that a considerable number of the items on the
Schedule are simply requests to the effect that the Guatemalan
Government will not increase the present import duty on the articles
in question during the life of the proposed agreement, while
requests for reductions in present duties have been made in a number
of other instances. It should be pointed out, in this connection,
that the reduction in duty requested in the attached Schedule on
passenger automobiles and chassis is not regarded by the United
States Government as a concession, since the duty on these items was
increased by the Guatemalan Government in September, 1934, after the
United States and Guatemala had agreed to negotiate the present
trade agreement.
The Guatemalan Government’s attention is invited to the notes
included in the attached Schedule following items 212–2–05–01,
223–3–03–01,4
428–5–02–01,4 and
493–2–01–06.
In describing the articles in the attached Schedule every effort has
been exerted to make the nomenclature correspond as closely as
possible with that employed in the Guatemalan customs tariff. Very
few departures therefrom were found to be necessary and these have
been suggested solely in order to specify with a maximum of
exactitude the precise character or type of the commodity or
commodities in which the United States is interested in the
particular cases concerned. It will likewise be noted that changes
in the basis for determining import duty are sought in only three
instances, namely, items 212–3–01–01, 471–1–03–02 and
471–1–03–03.
In no case has a preferential tariff rate been requested for products
of the United States as compared with similar products from any
third country.
The attached Schedule is being submitted at this time in order to
give the Guatemalan Government ample time to study these proposals.
It is further understood that the Government of the United States
reserves the privilege of suggesting such changes in this Schedule
as may on further consideration seem desirable prior to their final
approval by both Governments.
The United States Government expects in the near future to submit a
preliminary draft of the General Provisions which will accompany the
Schedules setting forth the concessions reciprocally granted by the
United States and Guatemala, and, which, together with the
Schedules, will constitute the trade agreement which, it is hoped,
will be approved within a short time by the two Governments.
[Page 587]
The Government of the United States is prepared to receive and give
serious consideration to any proposals which the Guatemalan
Government may choose to present in connection with possible tariff
concessions which this Government might grant on products exported
by Guatemala to the United States of America and any other proposals
which the Guatemalan Government might wish to have considered in
connection with the proposed trade agreement.
