611.6531/431: Telegram
The Ambassador in Italy (Phillips) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 8—12:17 p.m.]
325. Department’s telegram No. 105, October 25, 3 p.m. In a conversation following the presentation of the text of the Department’s note the Director of Commercial Affairs of the Foreign Office repeated that the preferences formerly accorded Austria had been abolished and that no preferences were granted German products entering Italy.
With respect to the inclusion of all permitted imports within the proposed global quotas Giannini explained that in general the global quotas included all imports but that in a limited number of cases where special circumstances required supplementary quotas had been permitted to cover a specific need. These were, however, of an exceptional nature and in each case formed the subject of a special accord [Page 580] between Italy and the importing country. He cited a special quota for potatoes from the Baltic countries as an example but maintained that the number of products was very limited.