Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume VIII, International Monetary and Trade Policy

230. Telegram From the Mission to the European Office of the United Nations to the Department of State¹

Geneva, March 20, 1964, noon.

Tagg 1897. For Governor Herter from Blumenthal. At meeting of Agric Comte March 19, US spoke first giving reasons why Mansholt II not acceptable approach as working hypothesis or even general basis for discussion. After noting some positive features, e.g. binding of levels of protection if reductions could be negotiated, suggested Comte proceed examine on pragmatic basis, bearing in mind directive of Mins and diversity of agriculture products, how agric products can be included in negots. Noted that in such an approach EEC, USA, and others free to advance any proposal deemed appropriate for treatment agric products. Objective to have broad agreement by May 1 on how agriculture is to be included.

Japan, UK, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Australia all made statements which included endorsement US approach. EEC (Rabot) agreed work could proceed on pragmatic basis.

Chairman directed discussion to procedures for getting on with job. Suggested setting up technical comte to examine and segregate agriculture products into major groups broadly grouping products on the basis of the nature of the product and the form of protection. It was then agreed this would be done using following guidelines:

1. Look at main trade flows.

2. Nature of product itself, e.g. raw material or processed.

3. Identify kind of protection employed by major trading countries.

4. Job to be done expeditiously and where impasse encountered report back promptly full comte.

(Products susceptible to commodity agreement treatment will be considered by special groups.)

Idea would be that after this sorting job done, full comte would address itself to policy question of how to treat product in question. Chairman also directed that agricultural non-tariff barriers should be included in scope of work of AgCom rather than NTB. First meeting technical comte scheduled Friday, March 20.

Tubby

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, AGR 3 GATT. Limited Official Use. Repeated to Bonn, Brussels for USEC, The Hague, Luxembourg for USEC, Paris for USRO, Rome, London, Buenos Aires, Canberra, Ottawa, and Tokyo. Passed to the White House.