611.3331/457
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by Mr. Vernon L. Phelps of the Division of Commercial Policy and Agreements
| Participants: | Mr. Horton Henry, Second Secretary, American Embassy, Buenos Aires |
| Mr. Hawkins25 | |
| Mr. Fowler26 | |
| Mr. Phelps | |
| Mr. White27 |
Mr. Henry telephoned from Buenos Aires to report further regarding the present status of our trade agreement negotiations with Uruguay in which he has been participating in Montevideo.
As regards Schedule I, Mr. Henry said that the Uruguayans had met all of our requests excepting (1) filing cabinets and radio receivers on which bindings of the present duties were offered and (2) automobile parts on which reductions covering about 60 percent of the total, by value, were offered. Mr. Henry was informed that these offers would have to be cleared with the Committee on Trade Agreements but that we believed they would be acceptable.
Mr. Henry was reminded of the fact that the Embassy should check with the Uruguayan authorities to ensure that in the signed agreement Part B of Schedule I includes only “item numbers of the unrevised sections of the Uruguayan tariff in force on the day of the signature of the agreement” as provided for in the headnote thereto.
In response to an inquiry, Mr. Henry stated that the Uruguayan Government desired that the note regarding customs penalties, transmitted to the Department in telegram no. 355 of May 9, 1942 from the Embassy at Montevideo, not be published. It was suggested in that event that the substance of the note be embodied in another paragraph [Page 712] of the Final Minutes, since we preferred not to have any unpublished exchanges of notes in connection with the agreement.
He was informed that while we preferred a Final Minute, he was authorized, if necessary, to accept the Uruguayan proposal of an unpublished exchange of notes.
He stated that the Embassy at Montevideo was preparing a definitive text for transmission to the Department within a few days and that it was hoped that signature of the agreement would be possible within about two weeks.