Office of the Historian

212. Memorandum From the Department of State Executive Secretary (Read) to the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)1

Washington, March 21, 1964.

SUBJECT

  • Sugar Legislation

We have been discussing with Agriculture and other agencies concerned the fact that sugar legislation must soon be considered in anticipation of expiration of the 1961 Sugar Act2 on December 31. We are in general agreement on recommendations to be made to the President but differ on one major point: whether a substantial portion of supplies now coming from abroad should, instead, be supplied domestically. The agencies are preparing a statement of the problem and proposed solutions for consideration by the President. This is simply to alert you to that arrangement and to the fact that a decision will have to be made as soon as possible after our statement is received, inasmuch as Chairman Cooley contemplates hearings in the near future.

J.W. Davis 3
  1. Source: Department of State, EB/ICD/TRP Files: Lot 75 D 462, Sugar, New Legislation. Limited Official Use. Drafted by G. Hilliker (S/S) on March 21 and cleared by Jacobson (E).↩
  2. Reference is to P.L. 87–15 of March 31, 1961, “To Amend and Extend the Sugar Act of 1948, as Amended.” (75 Stat. 40)↩
  3. Davis signed for Read above Read’s typed signature.↩