781.003/69: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in the United Kingdom ( Johnson )
27. Your 36, January 15, 2 p.m. The Embassy at Paris has been instructed to forward to you by air mail the text of a memorandum which is being presented to the French Foreign Office7 setting forth the views of this Government respecting the proposed introduction of a quota system in Morocco. Upon receipt of the memorandum you may make a copy available to the Foreign Office.
It is our understanding based upon your telegram that the draft commercial agreement between the United Kingdom and France relating to Morocco provides that quotas may be imposed upon importations of all articles entering into Morocco; that the total amount of the permitted importations of each article is to be equal to the imports in the latest year for which figures are available; that the [Page 851] allotment by countries is to be made upon the basis of a previous period not necessarily identical with the period on which the total amount of permitted imports is to be based, but in general a longer period which may vary as between the different articles; and that in no case shall the share allotted to the United Kingdom in respect of the quota on any particular article be less than 5 percent.
With respect to the articles listed in Schedule A appended to the exchange of notes on quotas, the Department infers that the base periods to be used in allotting shares of quotas on these articles are to be determined by discussions between the interested governments after signature of the exchange of notes, and presumes that the United States Government will have an opportunity to express its views concerning the base periods to be used for those articles in which we have an appreciable interest before such base periods are determined.
Please seek confirmation from the British authorities regarding the above points.
- See infra. ↩