611.5231/664: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in Spain (Crosby)

27. Please obtain an interview with the Minister of State, preferably in the presence of Calderon, and deliver the following note:

“Excellency: Under instructions from my Government, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your courteous communication of April 6, 1932,12 delivered to Ambassador Laughlin. The American Government has given careful and sympathetic study to this communication and, while the proposal outlined therein presents certain difficulties from the point of view of American tariff policy, my Government is naturally most anxious to terminate the present uncertainty that has been so damaging to the commercial interests of both countries, and has therefore authorized me to inform Your Excellency of its acceptance of the arrangement.

It is accordingly the understanding of the American Government that with respect to tariff treatment the Government of the Spanish Republic will henceforth and for such time as the American Government extends most favored nation treatment to Spanish products grant to all American products that may be specified by list submitted by the American Government to the Government of the Spanish Republic, the most favored nation treatment and the maximum benefits accorded by Spain to the similar products of other countries. The Government of the Spanish Republic also agrees to extend the same treatment and benefits to additional American products whenever notification in this sense shall subsequently be made to Spain by the American Government through the submission of further lists.

I avail myself, et cetera.”

You are authorized to make any minor changes in the address and subscription in order that the foregoing communication may conform to local usage.

At the same time you will please deliver a list which should include all those products of interest to American export trade against which Spain at present discriminates. It is the understanding of the Department that this should include all items on list B of the Franco-Spanish Commercial Agreement of November 10, 193113 (your despatch No. 524 of November 11 last),14 with the exception of item No. 1395 sparkling wines: and also include sulphur and citric acid (Spanish tariff items Nos. 853, 855 and 906,) regarding [Page 540] which preferential rates were granted Italy by the Spanish-Italian Commercial Agreement of March 30, 1932.15 You should confer with the Commercial Attaché in the preparation of this list and, in connection with reporting your call at the Foreign Office, you should telegraph to the Department the names of any additional items which you may have added beyond those specified above.

Castle
  1. The note, dated April 5, was handed to the American Ambassador on April 6; see supra.
  2. The Franco-Spanish agreement was signed at Paris October 23, 1931, and became effective November 10, 1931. See Spain, Gaceta de Madrid, Año CCLXX, Tomo iv, 10 Noviembre, 1931, Núm. 314, p. 866.
  3. Not printed.
  4. The Spanish-Italian agreement was signed at Rome March 15, 1931, and became effective March 30, 1931. See Spain, Gaceta de Madrid, Año CCLXXI, Tomo i, 26 Marzo, 1932, Núm. 86, p. 2130.