611.3331/419: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Uruguay (Dawson)

282. Your no. 444, October 24, 11 a.m. It is hoped that in the course of your oral explanation to the Foreign Minister you indicated that the best way for Uruguay to assure itself of most-favored-nation treatment would be to enter into a trade agreement along the lines of our proposal.

With reference to your proposed note, some change is necessary if for no other reason than that the entire message, including the portion quoted, was transmitted in confidential code.

It is suggested that you inform the Foreign Minister that it is the established policy of your Government, pursuant to the pertinent provisions of the Trade Agreements Act, to extend the application of reduced rates of duty provided for in trade agreements with foreign countries other than Cuba to the like products of all countries, except that the President may suspend the application of such reduced rates of duty to products of any country because of discriminations against the commerce of the United States or other acts or policies tending to defeat the purposes of the Act. You may add that all trade-agreement rates of duty hitherto generalized have been made applicable to products of Uruguay and state that you have no reason to expect that there will be any change in this situation in connection with the trade agreement with Argentina. The President’s letter to the Secretary of the Treasury in regard to the generalization of rates of duty provided for in that agreement will be issued prior to November 15.39

Hull
  1. Released to the press on October 31; Department of State Bulletin, November 1, 1941, p. 351.