394.31/11–1450
The President to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: On September 29 I approved the Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Agreement’s recommendations of [Page 806] September 26 with respect to the tariff concessions to be offered and requested at Torquay, with the exception of the five items covered by the dissent of the Department of Agriculture.
The issues involved in the Committee’s recommendations on clothing wool; mohair and hair of the alpaca, llama, and vicuna; wool noils; grapes; and raisins made from seedless grapes have now been carefully reviewed. Since the concessions to be negotiated at Torquay will be subject to termination, after negotiations under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, at any time after January 1, 1954, I believe that the concessions recommended by the Committee can be safely offered, although the Secretary of Agriculture has called attention to potential future problems which may be particularly serious in the case of the wool items.
The recommendations of the majority of the Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Agreements for concessions on the five items covered by the Agriculture dissent are hereby approved.
Very sincerely yours,