611.2531/681
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to the Chief of the Division of Commercial Treaties and Agreements (Hawkins)
I think that, in view of past political experience with copper tariff in proposed Chilean trade agreement, including the voluntary withdrawal of the copper item by the Trade Agreements Section under political pressure and presumably because of the lack of sufficient merit to further retain the copper item in the list of proposed or possible concessions, the chief points in connection with the former action of the State Department and in setting forth a new basis for the inclusion of copper in a proposed trade agreement should be placed before the President with the request that he pass particularly on the political phase of the matter. He will probably want to call in Jesse Jones94 and other groups in the Government dealing with some phase of the copper situation.
Both you and the President may find it more practical to feel out the situation among copper mine owners with a view to seeing how much help they would give.
I do not think any of the foregoing would compromise our pledges to such Senators as Carl Hayden,95 who boldly supported our trade program and who was among the first Senators to receive information that we had withdrawn the copper item.
[Page 598]I would naturally be exceedingly glad to see some copper tariff revision. It will require tactful and forceful handling to succeed. Hence the importance of the President’s being actively behind the movement, rather than merely going along with it.