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  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXVIII, Part 2, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; Public Diplomacy, 1973–1976
  4. Document 172

172. Memorandum From the White House Staff Secretary (Jones) to the White House Chief of Staff (Haig)1

Washington, May 23, 1974.

SUBJECT

  • East-West Trade Policy Committee

The purpose of the above Committee is to determine our East-West trade policy and to oversee the negotiation and coordination of major trade initiatives. George Shultz was named Chairman of this Committee when it was established in March of 1973.2 He served as Chairman because of his role as the Chairman of CEP.

The members of the Committee are as follows:

  • The Secretary of State
  • The Secretary of the Treasury
  • The Secretary of Commerce
  • The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
  • The Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy
  • The Special Representative for Trade Negotiations

The Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury acts as Executive Secretary of the Committee and chairs a working group which does almost all of the actual work of the Committee.

Since this is a Committee to coordinate the work and efforts of several line departments, the conceptually clean organization is to name the Chairman of the Council of Economic Policy to chair this Committee; the President’s key economic advisor is best positioned to play the coordinating role among several line departments. Also, I would suggest that the working group chairmanship be moved to CIEP from Treasury. Finally, by naming Simon to the post as Secretary of Treas[Page 598]ury, you automatically elevate him over Henry Kissinger at the State Department. I doubt Henry would see this as a workable solution.

I, therefore, recommend that you name Rush to head this committee and move the working group chairmanship to CIEP.3

Attached at Tab A is the press release that established the Committee.4

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special File, Staff Member and Office Files, Alexander M. Haig, Box 28, May—Jones [3 of 3]. No classification marking.↩
  2. The Committee was created by President Nixon on March 6, 1973. Shultz served as Chairman until his replacement as Secretary of the Treasury by Simon on May 8, 1974.↩
  3. By Executive Order 11789, June 25, amended by Executive Order 11808, September 30, the Committee was renamed the President’s Committee on East-West Trade Policy. (Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Vol. 10, No. 26, July 1, 1974, pp. 719–720; ibid., Vol. 10, No. 40, October 7, 1974, pp. 1216–1217) The Committee was abolished by Executive Order 11846, signed by President Ford on March 27, 1975, and the East-West Foreign Trade Board was created in its place. (Ibid., Vol. 11, No. 13, March 31, 1975, pp. 310–312)↩
  4. Attached but not printed.↩