611.4131/1807a
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Lindsay)
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: Some time ago our delegation in the trade-agreement negotiations placed before me the latest offers of your Government on all products other than lumber. At my request, our delegation redoubled its efforts to work out proposals dealing with lumber in order that I could consider the picture as a whole and determine whether, in my judgment, a trade agreement between our countries can be reached. The lumber proposals have now been drafted, and the whole situation has been carefully considered. I am thus in a position to state to you my conclusions.
I am sure that you would wish me to be completely frank. I am not prepared to sign an agreement which does not include more comprehensive concessions on the part of your Government. The position taken by your Government regarding Empire commitments seriously limits the possibilities for improving that part of the agreement. Nevertheless, there are several instances, as indicated in the attached memorandum,56 in which improvements not involving further Empire consultation should be possible. In my opinion, these improvements are indispensable to us in obtaining popular support for the agreement. I am prepared to sign an agreement which includes the changes suggested in this memorandum.
[Page 58]You will observe from the memorandum that I have also reviewed Schedule IV and that with a view to making the agreement more attractive to your Government, I am prepared to make a number of additional offers for British goods entering the United States. These improvements are also dealt with in detail in the attached memorandum.
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