611.5531/693
Memorandum by Mr. Jacques J. Reinstein of the Division of Trade Agreements
| Conversation: | The Belgian Ambassador1a and Mr. Raoul E. L. Grenade, Commercial Counselor to the Belgian Embassy; |
| Mr. Culbertson and Mr. Williamson of the Division of Western European Affairs; | |
| Mr. Fowler and Mr. Reinstein of the Division of Trade Agreements. |
The Belgian Ambassador and Mr. Grenade called to discuss the terms of an agreement containing general provisions to supplement the existing trade agreement between Belgium and the United States.2
Mr. Fowler outlined the Department’s viewpoint with respect to a number of points on which there are divergences between the United States standard provisions3 and the Belgian counter-draft.4 It appeared to be the intention of the Ambassador to consult his Government by telegram as to whether they were prepared to accept our alternative proposals to their counter-draft on points of importance. In order to facilitate this method of handling the negotiations, it was agreed that the Department would prepare a “clean draft” of provisions based on the Belgian counter-draft and embodying the American desiderata, to be accompanied by comments outlining our viewpoint with respect to any changes in wording made in the counter-draft.
[Page 220]Mr. Grenade will call to pursue the discussions on the basis of the Department’s memorandum on Monday, January 11.
The specific points which were informally discussed with the Ambassador and Mr. Grenade were as follows (the article numbers given refer to those in the Belgian counter-draft).
[Comments on the various articles are omitted.]
- Count Robert van der Straten-Ponthoz.↩
- For text of agreement between the United States and the Belgo-Luxemburg Economic Union, signed February 27, 1935, see Department of State Executive-Agreement Series No. 75, or 49 Stat. 3680.↩
- For text of standard general provisions, see Foreign Relations, 1935, vol. i, p. 541.↩
- Belgian counterdraft not printed.↩