611.1231/332
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. H. Gerald Smith of the Division of Commercial Policy and Agreements
Señor Sierra called by request to receive the list of additional proucts which we were prepared to include in the list accompanying the public notice of intention to negotiate with Mexico. I handed Señor Sierra a copy of the list of additional items, explaining at the same time that while the original had not yet been initialed in the Department, I wished to get a copy of the list into his hands on an informal basis as quickly as possible in order that the Mexican Ambassador12 might determine whether the list of additional items, plus the original list handed to the Mexican Embassy in December 1941, was satisfactory to the Mexican Government for publication. I told Señor Sierra that I would send the original of the list to him as soon as it had been initialed.
I went over the list with Señor Sierra pointing out that it had not been possible in all cases to accede to the request of the Mexican Government for inclusion of certain items in the list, but we had gone as far as possible in this direction. At the same time we had included a number of items, not specifically requested by Mexico, in which we had found that imports from Mexico were of growing importance, and if the Mexican Government were interested in these items we would be willing to include them in the published list. I indicated to Señor Sierra, at the same time, that in the case of a number of these products included upon our initiative, in view of the fact that Mexico had become the major or an important supplier [Page 492] only because normal sources were cut off by the war, it might be necessary, if it were found that concessions could be granted on such items, to include them in the agreement on a basis whereby the United States would have the right, six months or some such period after the war, to withdraw the concessions from the agreement. I mentioned that this had been done in the case of the recent trade agreement with Argentina.13
Señor Sierra was informed, regarding the original list of products handed to the Mexican Embassy in December 1941, that we had found it desirable to withdraw two of the items included therein, Paragraph 1719 covering unspecified crude minerals and Paragraphs 1785 and 1786, covering tin. In both these cases we had felt that the present or potential position of Mexico as a supplier did not warrant inclusion of the items. I also indicated to Señor Sierra that we had made certain changes in language in a number of the other items in the original list, but these changes did not lessen the scope of the items.
Señor Sierra seemed personally satisfied with our proposals and said that he would get them into the hands of the Ambassador as soon as possible and would try to get confirmation to me this afternoon in order that we could proceed with the steps leading up to the issuance of the public notice here and announcement to the press simultaneously in Mexico City. It was tentatively agreed that we would try to have the announcements issued tomorrow morning around 11 or 12 o’clock, approximately the time of the departure for New York of the Mexican Foreign Minister.
Señor Sierra telephoned at 4 p.m. and stated that the supplementary list of products was satisfactory and said that it was their desire that the announcement be issued at 12 o’clock noon, April 4.
[For the public announcement on April 4, 1942, of trade-agreement negotiations with Mexico, together with a list of products on which the United States would consider granting concessions to Mexico, see Department of State Bulletin, April 4, 1942, pages 278–286.]
- Francisco Castillo Nájera.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. vi , section tinder Argentina entitled “Reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Argentina, signed October 14, 1941.”↩