392. Editorial Note
The Joint U.S.-Canadian Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs held its 12th meeting in Washington June 25-26, 1969. Secretary of State Rogers and Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs Mitchell Sharp headed the delegations, which included Cabinet-level agriculture and trade officials. According to the communiqué issued on June 26, the International Grains Agreement was prominent on the agenda, and the United States and Canada agreed to consult bilaterally and with other concerned governments to restore stability in world grain markets. For text of the communiqué, see Department of State Bulletin, July 14, 1969, pages 38-40.
On June 27 President Nixon and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau met at the international boundary to participate in the 10th anniversary ceremonies for the Saint Lawrence Seaway. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Central Files, President’s Daily Diary) In a June 27 memorandum to Henry Kissinger regarding the President’s meeting that day with Trudeau, Fred Bergsten noted that the Canadians, at the Cabinet-level talks that week, as well as the Australians (see footnote 2, Document 398), had urged the United States not to violate unilaterally the price minima of the IGA and to agree to a Ministerial meeting before taking any action. Bergsten added that the President could impress Trudeau by informing him of decisions he had made on June 26 regarding wheat and recommended that the President take the initiative to raise the issue with Trudeau. He also provided talking points for the President’s use, one of which was: “I have directed that U.S. wheat prices are not to be cut from their present level, pending an intensive internal review of U.S. policy toward the International Grains Agreement and a Ministerial [Page 985] meeting among the major exporters to discuss the problem which we all face at the present.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files-Europe, Box 670, Canada, Volume I through 2/70)