611.60d31/172½
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Eastern European Affairs (Kelley)
I informed the Finnish Minister by phone that the Department had given careful consideration to the proposal of the Finnish Government17 with regard to putting the Trade Agreement into force provisionally prior to its approval by the Finnish Diet, but considered that it would be preferable to have the Agreement come fully into force after approval by the Diet rather than to bring it partially into force prior to that time.
The Minister stated that he would inform his Government, and added that he had learned that the Diet would meet again at the beginning of September; consequently there would be a delay of only a few months in the bringing of the Trade Agreement into force.
[For text of the reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Finland signed on May 18, 1936, see Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 97, or 50 Stat. 1436. A summary of the agreement and statement issued May 18, 1936, by the Secretary of State is printed in Department of State, Press Releases, May 23, 1936, pages 503–530. See ibid., October 3, 1936, page 289, for text of letter dated October 3, 1936, from President Roosevelt to the Secretary of the Treasury, regarding the application of proclaimed duties to the products of third countries.]
- Not printed. The Finnish proposal was made on April 23 in a conversation between the Minister of Finland and Mr. Kelley.↩