814.24/452
The Minister in Guatemala (Des Portes) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 27.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Legation’s despatch No. 3759 of April 5, 1943,30 in which the Department was advised that no list of non-importable commodities would be prepared for publication in Guatemala.
The Sección de Coordinatión Economica Financiera en Guatemala, in consultation with the Legation, has evolved the following plan for [Page 221] dealing with applications for Import Recommendations covering commodities in short supply in the United States and not deemed essential in Guatemala. Publication will not be made of an official Guatemalan list of non-importable commodities, but the Sección de Coordinación will maintain for its own use in the implementation of its policies a list of commodities which are deemed non-essential to Guatemala and which are in scarce supply or would utilize valuable cargo space, and will reject applications for Import Recommendations covering such commodities. When it appears likely that the volume of applications for a commodity appearing on this list will be large, the principal importers of such commodities will be advised privately by the Sección de Coordinación that until further notice it will be the general policy of that office to reject applications covering the commodity in question, and that it would be useless to file such applications unless special circumstances exist which would warrant the issuance of an Import Recommendation.
This procedure has already been followed in the case of certain commodities, an example of which is canned food. It has been determined by the Sección de Coordinación, in consultation with the Legation, that with certain exceptions canned foods are not essential to Guatemala. The principal importers of canned foods have, therefore, been advised by the Sección de Coordinación that until further notice it will be the general policy of that office to reject applications for Import Recommendations covering canned foods, except canned milk and other canned infant foods. Importers are still free, however, to file applications for Import Recommendations covering canned foods if special circumstances can be shown to justify the need for individual shipments.
It is believed that as applied to Guatemala this plan, because of its flexibility, will be more desirable than would the publication of a definite list of non-importable commodities.
Respectfully yours,
Acting Commercial Attaché
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