DPA
CONFIDENTIAL
PA SCR 57/66
M fund all
416
Mins 0994 Mr Mavis 246
ли
MFN and Human Rights
199
гови
1.
John Kamm of Amcham rang me today on MFN.
MAL Ston
Pa
(or)
2.
He thought the Pease and Pelosi bills less dangerous than the Mitchell bill, in that the first two add conditions to Jackson-Vanneck and are amenable to the same waiver by the President as the free emigration condition of Jackson-Vanneck. Thus the President can say next year that while none/not all of the conditions have been met, China has made progress towards them, and he will therefore waive them because retaining MFN will produce more progress. The Mitchell bill however is framed in absolute terms, allowing no Presidential waiver. would simply require a determination of whether the conditions in it had been met or not.
3.
It
Kamm is considering testifying before the Senate, but he goes to Peking first in an attempt to get Luo Haixing's
This would enable him to show sentence quashed or reduced. that human rights in Guangdong are not too bad and therefore MFN, which principally affects Guangdong, should be retained. He will also be attempting to ensure that the Li brothers, who recently returned to Hunan from Hong Kong, are not put on trial. He said that if they were, it would be disastrous for
MFN.
The US Administration have reported to Congress the message given to former President Carter, namely that dissidents who return will not be arrested or mistreated.
If
the Li brothers are tried Carter is likely, in Kamm's view, to reverse his position and argue against retention of MFN.
CONFIDENTIAL
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