CYPHER/CAT A
ROUTINE SEOUL
TELEGRAM NUMBER 168
CONFIDENTIAL. [NEUTRAL]
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
6 NOVEMBER 1969
us File
ADDRESSED TO FCO TEL NO. 168 OF 6 NOV. REPEATED FOR
INFORMATION TO UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG AND SAVING TO WASHINGTON AND TCKYO.
U.S. TEXTILE POLICY.
WHEN I CALLED ON THE NEW MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY,
326
26
LEE (OR YI) NAK'SON, 1 RAISED THIS SUBJECT WITH HIM,
1 UNFORTUNATELY $16) BEFORE SEEING UKMIS GENEVA TEL NO.559 TO YOU. EITHER BECAUSE HE
WAS NOT YET WELL INFORMED OR BECAUSE IT WAS OUR FIRST MEETING,
HE WAS VERY RETICENT. HE CONFIRMED THAT AN AMERICAN APPROACH HAD
BEEN MADE BUT WOULD NOT DIVULGE THE LINE THAT THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT
PROPOSED TO TAKE.
2. WHEN I SAID THAT THE AMERICANS WERE SUGGESTING BILATERAL
TALKS WITH INTERESTED PARTIES PRESUMABLY BECAUSE THEY HOPED
TO BRING PRESSURE ON EACH INDIVIDUALLY, AND THAT WE AND
OTHER GOVERNMENTS THOUGHT MULTILATERAL TALKS PREFERABLE,
HE MERELY REMARKED THAT THE AMERICANS WOULD NOT LIKE IT IF THEY
THOUGHT THAT THE EXPORTING COUNTRIES WERE COMBINING AGAINST.
THEM. I REPLIED THAT THIS WAS DOUBTLESS TRUE, BUT MOST
EXPORTERS DID NOT REPEAT NOT THINK THAT THE AMERICANS HAD
SUBSTANTIATED THEIR CASE AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A COMMON
FRONT IN PERSUADING THEM TO DO SO.
3. I IMAGINE THAT IN FACT THE KOREANS HOPE TO BE ABLE TO
OBTAIN PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FROM THE AMERICANS BY STANDING
ASIDE FROM THE OTHER COUNTRIES CONCERNED. THIS IMPRESSION
RECEIVED SOME CONFIRMATION FROM THE REMARKS OF A MEMBER
OF THE AMERICAN EMBASSY, TO THE EFFECT THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WERE ANXIOUS TO TREAT KOREA GENTLY, PROVIDED THAT THE KOREAN
GOVERNMENT GAVE SOME MINIMAL CONCESSION. TEXTILE EXPORTS TO THE
UNITED STATES ARE, OF COURSE, A VITAL ELEMENT IN THE KOREAN ECONOMY.
F C O PASS TO UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG AND SAVING TO WASHINGTON
AND TOKYO.
MR. TRENCH
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION
COMMODITIES DEBTSTRY M
F.E.D.
LAST
316
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION H.K.INT TRADE
[ COPY TO:
H.K.DEPT.
11 NOV 1969
AMERICAN DEPT
|H+KK6/004/1
CONFIDENTIAL
MR. D.I.DUNNETT BOT.
REF.
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