647.116/153: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Consul General at Sydney (Moffat)
Your June 10, 11 a.m. We contemplate recommending to the President suspending application of trade agreement concessions to Australian products without waiting for a reply to our note. It is essential before taking such action that we have clear evidence that there is actual discrimination against American trade. The Commercial Attaché’s telegraphic report of June 419 states that the Sydney Customs Collector was granting permits for importation to many countries, but was returning refused all applications relating to American products. Please report by telegraph: (1) whether this practice is being continued, (2) whether other customs collectors are following the same practice, and (3) whether this practice applies to all or the greater part of the items on the prohibited list. Please cite specific instances in which licenses for American products have been refused while licenses for like products of other foreign non-British [Page 762] origin have been more or less concurrently granted. Also please indicate whether you see any objection to suspending generalization without waiting for a reply to our note referred to in your telegram of June 10.
- Not found in Department files.↩