561.321D1 Advisory Committee/102a

The Chief of the Division of Commercial Policy and Agreements (Hawkins) to the Counselor of the Canadian Legation (Mahoney)

My Dear Mr. Mahoney: With reference to our conversation of February 27, I enclose two copies of the latest draft of the tripartite cotton agreement. In response to your request that the agreement be made as informal as possible, it has been redrafted in a form suitable for exchanges of notes between the United States and Brazil, Brazil and Canada, and Canada and the United States. As Mr. Carr informed you by telephone, neither full powers nor ratification will be required for signing the agreement in the United States. All changes suggested by the Canadian Government have been incorporated, with minor changes of wording.

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The current draft has been accepted by the United States Department of Agriculture, and has been submitted to the Brazilian representatives, but their reply has not yet been received.

If the Canadian Government contemplates sending a representative to Washington to conclude the negotiations, it would be appreciated if he could plan to be here on Monday or Tuesday of next week, since it is understood that Mr. Dantas, of the Brazilian delegation, is to be out of the city during the latter part of the week.

Sincerely yours,

Harry C. Hawkins
[Enclosure]

Excellency: I have the honor to make the following statement of my understanding of the agreement reached through recent conversations held at Washington between representatives of the interested agencies of the Governments of Brazil, Canada and the United States regarding exports to Canada of Upland cotton from Brazil and the United States.

Annual exports to Canada of raw Upland cotton from the United States and Brazil will be regulated on the basis of estimated annual requirements by Canada of 540,000 bales of such cotton, of which the United States and Brazil may each supply not more than 270,000 bales. At least twice during each agreement year the Joint Cotton Committee provided for hereinafter will review the estimate of such requirements and make such revision therein as it deems necessary. In the event that the revised estimate exceeds 540,000 bales, the exports from Brazil and the United States will be regulated so that the quantity supplied by each of them to the Canadian market will be increased by the same amount. In the event that the estimate is less than 540,000 bales, exports from Brazil and the United States will be regulated so that the quantity supplied by each of them to the Canadian market will be reduced by the same amount, provided that the quantity supplied by Brazil will not be greater than the amount by which such estimate exceeds 250,000 bales.

If it should appear that either of the exporting countries may be unable to export to Canada such quantities of raw Upland cotton as are agreed to between them pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Joint Cotton Committee shall investigate the situation and make recommendations.

However, if the Joint Cotton Committee finds that one of the exporting countries may not be able to export to Canada the quantity of raw Upland cotton agreed upon with the other exporting country pursuant to the above provisions because of inadequate shipping facilities, the country unable to export such quantity will permit the [Page 584] other exporting country to supply the deficiency provided that the quantity so supplied is in the following year deducted from the share of the latter and added to the share of the former. If the deficiency should be supplied in this manner in the first year of the agreement, the agreement shall not be subject to termination at the end of that year as hereinafter provided.

The export payment on cotton originating in the United States; and sold for export to Canada will be so adjusted that when such payment is deducted from the spot market price of Middling 15/16 inch cotton at Memphis, Tennessee, or from the price at which the Commodity Credit Corporation releases Middling 15/16 inch cotton at Memphis, Tennessee for export, whichever is lower, plus the cost of delivery, including handling charges to Montreal, the resulting figure will be a price at least one-half cent but not more than one cent per pound higher than the spot price of Brazilian (São Paulo official type 5, 28/29 mm.) cotton at São Paulo plus the cost of delivery and handling charges to Montreal.

No higher prices will be maintained for raw Upland cotton exported to Canada from the United States or Brazil than the prices at which Upland cotton of the same quality is offered for sale in that country to any other export market.

In converting the price of Brazilian cotton to United States currency, the rate of exchange will be the official export rate of exchange established by the Bank of Brazil.

A joint Cotton Committee composed of two representatives from each country will be established for the purpose of supervising and administering the operation of this agreement. The Committee will make all necessary provision for carrying out its duties.

Meetings of the Committee will be held in Washington, D. C., unless otherwise agreed.

The Committee will promptly notify the interested agencies of the Governments of Brazil, Canada and the United States of any revisions made in the estimate of Canadian requirements of cotton. The Committee will be furnished quarterly official statements showing the average monthly prices at which raw Upland cotton has been exported from the United States and from Brazil to each country of destination. The Committee will also be furnished upon request any information from official government sources in Canada, Brazil and the United States which may be available regarding the sale, arrival, movement and consumption of cotton. All such data will be held in strict confidence and will not be released without the permission, of the agency supplying the information.

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The Committee will make an annual report not later than one month after the end of the agreement year.

Nothing in this agreement should be construed as imposing any obligation on the Canadian Government to purchase or cause to be purchased any specified quantities of cotton from either the United States or Brazil, nor should anything in this agreement be construed as requiring the Canadian Government to take any action regarding the importation of raw cotton which is inconsistent with its treaty obligations to countries not party to this agreement, nor should anything in this agreement be construed as imposing any obligation on the Canadian Government or any agency of the Canadian Government to be guided in regulating the importation of raw cotton, whether by direct purchase or otherwise, by considerations other than price, quality, marketability and terms of sale which would ordinarily he taken into account by a private commercial enterprise interested solely in purchasing any product on the most favorable terms.

This agreement will become effective on March 1, 1942 and remain in effect for two years thereafter unless one of the participants gives the others at least 90 days’ written notice of its intention to terminate the agreement at the end of the first year.

The term “annual exports to Canada”, as used in this agreement, means all Upland cotton originating in the United States and in Brazil, entering Canada during the agreement year, but does not include linters, waste cotton, or raw cotton returned to countries of origin because of rejection under sale contract. The term “agreement year” means the 12-month period from March 1 to February 28. The term “Upland cotton” means the variety of gossypium hirsutum species commonly grown as annual crops in the United States and Brazil. The term “annual Canadian requirements” means the estimate made by the Joint Cotton Committee of the quantity of raw Upland cotton which will be imported into Canada from the United States and Brazil during the agreement year. The term “bales” means bales of 478 pounds net weight, and the prices of both Brazilian and United States cotton shall be calculated on a net-weight basis.

If the foregoing is acceptable to the Government of Brazil, this note and your reply thereto will be regarded as placing on record our agreement concerning this matter.

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.

Very truly yours,