Office of the Historian

199. National Security Study Memorandum 491

Washington, April 24, 1969.

TO

  • The Secretary of State
  • The Secretary of the Treasury
  • The Secretary of Agriculture
  • The Secretary of Commerce
  • The Secretary of Labor
  • The Director, Bureau of the Budget
  • The Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers
  • The Special Representative for Trade Negotiations

SUBJECT

  • U.S. Trade Policy in the 1970’s

The President has directed the preparation of a study on U.S. trade policy over the next several years which:

a.
includes a discussion of trade issues in the broad context of U.S. foreign policy objectives,
b.
considers the relationship of trade to United States objectives vis-a-vis both the developed and the less developed countries,
c.
examines alternative possible evolutions in broad patterns of international trade in the absence of major U.S. initiatives, and
d.
considers possible alternative U.S. approaches.

The paper should also:

a.
explore the whole range of problems which must be faced during that period including:
(1)
tariffs,
(2)
non-tariff barriers,
(3)
agriculture, and
(4)
foreign production by U.S. corporations.
b.
consider the alternative responses to those problems and include the economic and political costs and benefits to the United States involved in both the overall approaches which might be conceived and the specific components of those approaches;
c.
deal with the methods, both domestic and international, through which the various approaches could be pursued as well as the substance of the approaches; and
d.
include the domestic and political aspects of the problem.

To prepare the paper, the President has directed the creation of an NSC Ad Hoc Group chaired by the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations and including representatives of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The Chairman may invite representatives of other agencies to attend particular meetings. He may also create subcommittees, chaired by whomever he may appoint, to deal with any or all of the specific issues to be studied.

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, S/S Files: Lot 80 D 212, NSSM 49. Limited Official Use.↩