611.5231/719
The Chargé in Spain (Crosby) to the Acting Secretary of State
No. 695
Madrid
, May 10, 1932.
[Received May
20.]
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith
for the Department’s records the copy of my Note No. 405 of April
22, 1932, relative to the granting of most favored nation treatment
to American products, [Page 545] as
well as the copy of the list of articles for which we desire such
treatment,20 which I handed to the
Undersecretary of State on April 23rd pursuant to your telegraphic
instruction No. 27 of April 21, 2 p.m., 1932. I also enclose the
copy and translation of the Minister’s reply, dated May 5, 1932, the
receipt of which was reported in my telegram No. 36 of May 6, 5
p.m.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure 1]
The American Chargé (Crosby) to the
Spanish Minister of State (Zulueta)
No. 405
Madrid
, April 22, 1932.
Excellency: Under instructions from my
Government, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your
courteous communication of April 6, 1932, 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.
Accept [etc.]
[Page 546]
[Enclosure 2—Translation]
The Spanish Minister of State (Zulueta) to the
American Chargé (Crosby)
C) E.U.3
Madrid
, May 5, 1932.
My Dear Sir: In reply to your kind Note
No. 405 of April 22nd last, transmitting to me a list of
articles for which your Government requested the application of
most-favored-nation treatment, I have the honor to point out to
your illustrious attention that the Government of the Republic
considers small the number of the titles included in the above
mentioned list, since according to the Spanish Customs
statistics, American imports into Spain include 800 titles of
the Tariff. Although, as has been agreed, the Government of the
United States may request at any time the inclusion in the list
referred to of other titles which are of equal interest to it,
it would appear convenient, and even to the advantage of North
American imports, and in order to avoid continual and repeated
representations, that the list to be established contain from
its inception at least those articles which are of the greatest
interest to the commerce of the United States in Spain.
At the same time, and although the Government of the Republic
does not consider it necessary to determine the minimum customs
duty actually in force under each title as the concession of
most favored treatment implies the minimum tariff which may at
any time be in force for the corresponding title, I should
inform you that the list which you transmitted to me with the
Note under acknowledgment contained some errors, and I therefore
have the honor to enclose observations relative to the errors to
which I refer.21
For the reasons set forth above permit me to suggest that you
bring to the attention of your Government the feasibility of
amplifying at this time the list in question thus avoiding, as I
have previously stated, repeated and perhaps frequent inclusions
therein.
I avail myself [etc.]
(By direction)
J. Gomez
Ocerin
