394.31/12–1053

Memorandum by the Legal Adviser ( Phleger ) to the Under Secretary of State ( Smith )

Subject:

  • Proclamation Carrying Out the Annecy Protocol of Terms of Accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade with Respect to Uruguay

At the conference attended by you, Assistant Secretary Cabot, Deputy Assistant Secretary Kalijarvi, Mr. John Leddy, Director, Office of Economic Defense and Trade Policy, Mr. Walter Hollis, L/E, and myself, after discussion of Secretary of Agriculture Benson’s letter to the President on this subject, dated December 9, 1953,1 all present agreed on the following program:

(1)
That the United States concessions should not be proclaimed on December 16, 1953 pending discussions with Uruguay of the possibility of modifying the commitments that we have undertaken.
(2)
That Assistant Secretary Cabot and Deputy Assistant Secretary Kalijarvi would initiate discussions at once with the Department of Agriculture looking to an agreement as to what representations could be made to Uruguay that would lead to securing agreement by it that the tariff concessions on the meat items would be dropped from the [Page 1573] schedule to be proclaimed, it being recognized that to secure the Uruguayans’ cooperation they should receive some assurances that if they met the requirements of the United States in this matter that no action would be instituted by the Department of Agriculture under Section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act2 with respect to beef.
(3)
After this matter has been discussed as above, Assistant Secretary Cabot is to have discussions with the Uruguayans for the purpose of developing some satisfactory mutual arrangement which will have the effect of modifying the treatment of the meat items in the proclamation. This may well involve concessions to Uruguay which will be reported and discussed.

11 December 1953

Deputy Assistant Secretary Kalijarvi and Assistant Secretary Cabot had a conference this morning with Under Secretary of Agriculture True Morse on the above subject. The latter is to consider the matter with other officials in Agriculture to be followed by further discussion with the first-named.

Herman Phleger
  1. Supra.
  2. Of 1933, as amended.