611.5231/645: Telegram
The Ambassador in Spain (Laughlin) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 30—3:25 p.m.]
24. I am taking no action under your confidential telegram No. 19, March 29, 5 p.m., beyond noting the paragraph for my information because before it reached me Calderon informed by Commercial Attaché that he had acted on his promise reported in my telegram No. 12, February 7, 11 a.m., and had some results to communicate.
When I went to see him this morning he made the following statement: The Spanish decree of December 23, 1931, provides that the Government in all future commercial arrangements can grant most-favored-nation treatment, not as a covering provision, but on a definite list of products.
The first treaty signed by Spain under this decree has been with Italy on March 15th,8 instant, on the above basis and the Spanish Government is now on the point of proceeding to a similar revision of all its commercial treaties.
The Spanish Government will therefore be willing to examine a list of products presented by the Government of the United States to which most-favored-nation treatment will be granted. There is no limitation on the number of items.
[Page 535]If any change is made respecting the products on the agreed-upon list with one country the same treatment will be granted by Spain to other countries having such products on their lists.
Calderon proposes that such a list be presented to the Spanish Embassy at Washington and considered there between it and the representatives of our departments concerned.
- For the Spanish-Italian treaty, see Spain, Gaceta de Madrid, Año CCLXXI, Tomo i, 26 Marzo, 1932, Núm. 86, p. 2130.↩