394.31/3–751: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Gifford) to the Secretary of State
5090. US position on GATT special session Torquay as outlined Deptel 4267, Mar 20 discussed by Emb and EGA officers with Muntz and Mennel1 of Fon Off. Mennel will be Fon Off rep assisting Holmes at special session.
Brit position as outlined by these officials appears to be somewhat different from line taken by Holmes during his most recent discussions this subject with Vernon. Brit appear to be willing to agree to terms of ref for working party which wld give problem of Eur tariff disparities priority over tariff disparities elsewhere in world provided such non-European GATT members as were interested were allowed to participate in working party and provided working party was not located in Paris. Brit appear confident that Canadians and other non-European GATT members will support this view. They made usual points about unwillingness of French and Italians to bargain in good faith and weakening of GATT which wld result from its sponsoring purely regional approach to tariff problems. It was agreed that it wld be useful for US and UK reps to have further bilateral discussions at Torquay prior to opening of special session.
- Respectively, Thomas G. A. Muntz, Head, Economic Relations Department, British Foreign Office, and Peter Mennell, First Secretary in the Foreign Office. Mennell was attached subsequently to the British Delegation to the Special Session.↩