822.24/581
The Ambassador in Ecuador (Scotten) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 22.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to a letter dated April 28, 1943,98 addressed to Mr. Sam Miller, Special Representative of the Board of Economic Warfare in Quito, from Mr. Paul Cornell, Chief of Office of Exports in the Board of Economic Warfare in Washington, on the subject, “Ecuadoran List of ‘Non-Importable’ Products under Decentralization Plan A”, File No. OE–3–1–RID. Mr. Miller has referred Mr. Cornell’s letter to the Embassy for reply.
The so-called “non-importable” list99 was prepared by the Embassy in accordance with the suggestions of Messrs. Wilkinson and Henry1 when they were in Ecuador. The Ecuadoran Government accepted this list, and an order was issued by the Director General of the Office of Priorities prohibiting such importations except in cases of extreme emergency. Mr. Cornell states in his letter that it would be better for all concerned if requests for Import Recommendations are considered on their merits as of the day filed, rather than screened against a list of non-importable items.
The matter has been discussed in detail with the Director General of Priorities, and the latter office has agreed to accept Import Recommendations for all types of products, eliminating the so-called “non-importable list”. This information was forwarded to the Department in the Embassy’s airgram No. A–319 of June 12, 10:00 a.m.,98 which quoted from a letter of the Director General of Priorities, as follows:
“In view of the fact that the study of each ‘Import Recommendation’, in itself, constitutes a control of the articles which are desirable to bring to the country, this Office has found it advisable to abolish the list of products on which the Office of Priorities will not grant, for the present, Import Recommendations, from the United States or from any other country via the United States, after the 22nd of March of the present year.
[Page 208]“In view of the foregoing, this Office has ordered the Local Commissions to receive Import Recommendations for the articles of the said list.”
Respectfully yours,
Commercial Attaché
- Not printed.↩
- As to the character of this list, see circular airgram of May 31, 5:10 p.m., circular airgram of June 7, 6:10 p.m., and circular telegram of June 12, 7 p.m., pp. 116, 117, and 119, respectively.↩
- H. A. Wilkinson of the Board of Economic Warfare and Horton Henry of the Department were representatives on a joint mission to the American Republics to assist in inaugurating the Decentralization Plan.↩
- Not printed.↩