Office of the Historian

258. Letter From Australian Prime Minister Fraser to President Carter1

Canberra, undated
Dear Mr President,

I am writing to bring to your personal attention a matter of the utmost concern to the Australian Government. I refer to the meat import measures recently endorsed by the Congress.2

Your Administration has, of course, strongly resisted efforts to place further restrictions on meat imports. Moreover, you have yourself publicly declared your need to retain discretionary flexibility. The legislation would have the most damaging consequences for the Australian meat industry, affecting its future development, its stability and its shipping arrangements. These factors force me to ask that you exercise your Presidential right not to sign this Bill into law.

This legislation, if enacted, would clearly show that the United States wishes to retain quantitative restrictions on meat imports for at least a further decade. As a result the burden of adjustment would fall, most inequitably, upon Australia and other meat exporters. We would be no more than residual suppliers to your market and in addition, would be subject to the uncertainties of an untried theoretical formula.

We have already indicated our concern that this legislation could prejudice our shared objectives in the Multilateral Trade Negotiations. We both seek to expand trade access for meat and livestock products. This legislation, however, would completely contradict our common approach in international forums.

I firmly believe that this situation warrants your refusal to endorse this legislation, and I urge you to take this course.3

Yours sincerely,

Malcolm Fraser
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, President’s Correspondence with Foreign Leaders File, Box 1, Australia, Prime Minister J. Malcolm Fraser, 1–12/78. No classification marking.↩
  2. The Meat Import Act (H.R. 11545, 95th Congress) was passed by the House on October 12 and the Senate on October 14.↩
  3. On November 11, Carter vetoed the bill. For his November 10 memorandum of disapproval, see Public Papers: Carter, 1978, Book II, pp. 2009–2010.↩