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  4. Document 85

85. Minutes of the 81st Meeting of the Council on Foreign Economic Policy0

October 28, 1958.1

[Here follow a list of participants and discussion of an unrelated matter.]

II. CFEP 574—International Lead and Zinc Problems

1.
The Council on Foreign Economic Policy continued its consideration of the proposed position paper2 prepared by the Department of State for the use of the U.S. Delegation to the international meetings on lead and zinc problems beginning in Geneva on November 6, 1958.
2.
The specific issue before the Council was whether a Department of the Treasury recommendation should be incorporated in the position paper stating that the U.S. Delegation should announce at the beginning of the meetings that the United States would not become a member of an international lead and zinc commodity agreement.
3.
Mr. Dillon stated that it was not the intention of the Department of State to suggest that the CFEP policy on international commodity agreements be changed. Mr. Dillon assured the CFEP that any statements made by the Department of State in the past were not intended to commit the United States to participation in an international lead and zinc commodity agreement.
4.
The CFEP reaffirmed its policy on international commodity agreements and expressed its reluctance to have the U.S. participate in an international lead and zinc commodity agreement unless it is clearly demonstrated to be in the national interest.
5.
Mr. Dillon stated that if it appeared at the meetings that it might be in the national interest of the United States to participate in an international lead and zinc commodity agreement, this question would be presented to the CFEP as soon as possible, without implying any commitment that the United States will participate in such an agreement.
6.
The CFEP agreed that the United States had no alternative but to participate in the international lead and zinc meetings and that the conduct of the negotiations at the meetings was clearly the responsibility of the Department of State.
7.
The issue as stated in Paragraph 2 was not resolved. It was agreed that Mr. Dillon and Mr. Anderson would attempt to resolve this matter and that any such resolution of the issue would be agreeable to the Council on Foreign Economic Policy. It was further agreed that if no resolution were possible, the matter would be presented to the President for decision.
8.
Mr. Kearns observed that further clarification of U.S. policy on international commodity agreements would be useful and he was invited to submit his recommendations in this respect.
9.
Subsequent to the meeting, the Departments of State and Treasury reached agreement on the position paper by making the following changes:
a.
Substitute the following sentence for the first sentence of the position paper so that it now reads as follows:

“The Delegation should make clear at the beginning of the meeting and as often thereafter as may be necessary to prevent misunderstanding that the United States considers that the discussions are exploratory and that U.S. participation therein does not imply any commitment on its part to support any particular formula or willingness to participate in an international commodity agreement for lead and zinc.”

b.
Delete the last sentence of the next to the last paragraph.
10.

The position paper as finally agreed upon is attached to these minutes.3

Paul H. Cullen
Lt. Col., USA
Secretary
  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, CFEP Records, Office Series, Council Minutes, 1958 (1). Confidential.↩
  2. The meeting was held at the Executive Office Building.↩
  3. CFEP 574/2, Document 84. The Council began discussing the paper and the Treasury Department’s recommendation on October 23, but did not resolve the question and agreed to resume its deliberations on October 28. (Minutes of the 80th Meeting of the Council on Foreign Economic Policy; Eisenhower Library, CFEP Records, Office Series, Council Minutes, 1958 (1))↩

  4. Not found attached.

    Participants at the meeting in Geneva recommended forming a lead and zinc study group. Preliminary steps toward organizing such a group were taken at a meeting held at New York in April 1959. The first meeting of the International Lead and Zinc Study Group was held at Geneva January 27–February 3, 1960. See Department of State Bulletin, May 9, 1960, pp. 758–765.

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