".
CYPHER/CAT A.
PRIORITY WASHINGTON
TELEGRAM NO 1412
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
8 MAY 1969.
139
CONFIDENTIAL.
NEUTRAL.
ADDSD TO FCO TELNO 1412 OF 8 MAY REPTD FOR INFMN HONG KONG TOKYO SECUL TAIPEI UKMIS GENEVA UKDEL EEC BRUSSELS AND SAVING
TO BRUSSELS THE HAGUE BONN BERNE PARIS ROME.
MY TELEGRAM NO 954 (NOT TO ALL): U.S. TEXTILE IMPORTS
MR STANS' VISIT TO ASIA.
STANS AND HIS PARTY LEAVE FOR TOKYO TOMORROW AND EXPECT TO BE BACK ON 18 MAY AFTER HOLDING DISCUSSIONS ALSO IN SEOUL, TAIPEI
AND HONG KONG.
2. HIS LINE IS UNLIKELY TO DIFFER SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THE ONE HE
FOLLOWED IN EUROPE. HE WILL CONTINUE TO TRY TO PERSUADE THE ASIAN
GOVERNMENTS TO ACCEPT THE IDEA OF 'A GATT CONFERENCE ON THE EXTENSION OF THE LONG TERM COTTON TEXTILE ARRANGEMENT (L.T.A) TO
MAN-MADE AND WOOL TEXTILES AS THE PRICE OF AVOIDING MORE
RESTRICTIVE TEXTILE QUOTA LEGISLATION BY CONGRESS AND OF GIVING
PRESIDENT NIXON POLITICAL ELBOWROOM FOR DEVELOPING A GENERALLY
LIBERAL FOREIGN TRADE POLICY. THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE HAVE
BEEN DOING WHAT THEY CAN TO STREGTHEN THE VERY THIN CASE FOR
REGARDING THE U.S.TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN ITS PRESENT BOOM CONDITION
AS SERIOUSLY THREATENED BY A CONTINUING UNRESTRICTER RISE IN IMPORTS, BUT BASICALLY THE ARGUMENT WILL AGAIN BE PRESENTED IN TERMS OF THE POLITICAL IMPERATIVE RESULTING FROM THE PRESIDENT'S
PRE-ELECTION COMMITMENTS TO THE SOUTHERN REPUBLICANS.
3. STANS RETURNED FROM LUROPE WITH A STRONG IMPRESSION OF THE
NEGATIVE ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENTS THERE TOWARDS HIS TEXTILE PROPOSALS, BUT UNCONVINCED THAT IN THE LAST RESORT THEY WOULD REFUSE TO GO
ALONG WITH THEM SO LONG AS THEY WERE PERSUADED THAT FOR THE MOST
PART ONLY ASIAN GOODS WOULD BE PRACTICALLY AFFECTED. HE PROBABLY
HOPES THAT IF THE ASIAN COUNTRIES PLAYED BALL EUROPE WOULD NOT
POSITIVELY PUT OBSTACLES IN HIS WAY. PENDING STANS' ASIAN TALKS NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THE ADMINISTRATION ABOUT FUTURE MOVES, INCLUDING WHETHER OR NOT FORMALLY TO PROPOSE A GATT CONFERENCE AND AN EXTENSION OF THE L.T.A.
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51 12 MAY 1969
14XK6/30/1
CONFIDENTIAL
/ WE HAVE
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