192. Editorial Note
In May 1966, the Johnson administration sent to Congress its proposed East-West Trade Relations Act of 1966, which was designed to encourage peaceful non-strategic trade with Communist countries. Regarding this initiative, see Document 181. The House of Representatives heard testimony from officials from the executive departments on October 18. See Recent Developments in East-West Relations: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Europe of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1966). Congressional leaders subsequently discussed with administration principals in late 1966 and 1967 the scheduling of hearings on the subject (see Document 185), but none was held in 1967. A Department of Commerce paper, “Brief Analysis and Outlook on East-West Trade and Related Administration Proposals in the 90th Congress,” March 31, 1967, summarized the many bills on East-West trade matters pending in Congress in the early months of 1967. It is attached to an April 1 letter from Lawrence C. McQuaide, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce, to Anthony M. Solomon. (Johnson Library, Solomon Papers, East-West Trade Legislation, Box 3) Congress passed no legislation on East-West trade in 1967.
In early 1968, however, the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee held hearings on East-West trade. For texts of the statements by Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Charles E. Bohlen and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Anthony M. Solomon before this subcommittee on February 20, 1968, see Department of State Bulletin, March 25, 1968, pages 421–427.
Additional hearings on East-West trade were held by the Subcommittee on International Finance of the Senate Banking and Currency Committee in June and July 1968. See East-West Trade: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on International Finance of the Committee on Banking and Currency, United States Senate, Ninetieth Congress, Second Session (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1968), Parts 1 and 2.
Despite these hearings Congress took no action to authorize legislation in this area in 1968.