TNAG-0147-FCO40-183-Exports-of-textiles-to-United-States-of-America-1969 — Page 166

Reference...

293

Lextension

United States : Cotton Textiles

You will be interested in the attached cuttings from the Daily News Record (of New York) reporting the outcome of the discussions in Geneva on Wednesday and hursday. The issue reporting Friday's meeting, and any round-up, is not yet to hand. Er Leason, who is based in London, is obviously well informed.

2.-

You will notice in the Thursday issue the phrase that a U.. request for the broadening of the LTA to include wool and man-made fibres "could come if current efforts to reach bilateral agreement on.export levels are not successful". This would fit in. with Ir Brodte statement to Sir Eugine Melville that no fir decisions on non-cotton textiles would be taken before the next meeting of the CTC. Our position was correctly reported and you will nolice the remark attributed to a Japanese source that the "removal of the Anglo-Japanese quotas was of little interest to the Japanese textile industry as the British market is very small". The other comment of interest is the statement that "Hong Kong is said to be prepared to go along" with the United States' proposals for bilateral arrangements.

3.

The report of Thursday's debate has come across very well from our point of view. The American textile industry can draw no confort from the account of the attitude taken up by other countries to the of the LTA. The EDC suggestion that a study group should be set up has been reported and it will be interesting to see whether the support we gave to that suggestion will be reported in the next issue. The reference to the importance of the non-cotton issue to the developed countries is also helpful from our point of view.

4.

I also attach, under the same headline, a cutting from the latest issue reporting the line taken by the Japanese Minister of International Trade and Industry in Lokyo. You will see that he is reported as having suggested the setting up of a "multi-nation conference" to be attended by Japan and other textile exporting nations to study injury to the United States' textile industry from imports of wool and man-made fibre textiles within the frame- work of the GATT. It would be interesting to know to what extent this offer was in.luenced by the talks we had with the Japanese here and in Geneva. You will also be interested in the report that "there have been many indications from Japanese officials that they are willing to negotiat. an agreement, if it is selective".

PHA

R F.W. CAREY (1.1),

c.c. Hr Goldsith (CR1),

Mr Tons (CR2) Arhitehead (FCC) Er Carter (FCO),✔ Ir Jupp (1.1) o.r. Miss Lelch (I.1)

.. R. Aboult, Gerwa.

1

S. STEWART, Ind. 1 Div.,

15th October 1969.

R:

R. C.

་་

200CT 1969

1

HXX6/204/1