611.623/220
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
During the Ambassador’s47 call, he made an earnest plea against our countervailing duty action over at the Treasury Department, and especially against imposing countervailing duties upon an additional list of German exports to this country. The Ambassador was very insistent that this was definitely obstructing Germany’s purpose to go forward in the promotion of a broad trade program similar to that of this country. I went over the usual defense of our action, stating that it was entirely under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department. I said that I hoped Germany would not only find a way to relieve the action complained of but would put forward a broad program for economic rehabilitation somewhat on all fours with our own, and that she would not feel justified in merely confining her utterances and action at present to the dealing with and the disposition of the countervailing duty action. We did not reach anything more definite than usual in this respect.
- The German Ambassador, Hans Luther.↩