Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 61 Part 4.djvu/348

 3692 49 Stat. 3680. Right of termina- tion. 48 Stat. 943. 19 U. S. C.C. 1351- 1354. 61 Stat., Pts. 5 and 6. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OTHER THAN TREATIES [61 STAT. The Acting Chairmanof the United States Delegationto the Acting Chair- man of the Belgo-Luxembourg Delegation OCTOBER 30, 1947 DEAR MR. FORTHOMME: A point of legal detail has been brought to my attention in connec- tion with the Agreement Supplementary to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade which we propose to sign on behalf of our two Governments on October 30 making the Reciprocal Trade Agree- ment of 1935 between the United States and the Belgo-Luxemburg Economic Union inoperative so long as both the United States and the Belgo-Luxemburg Economic Union are parties to the General Agreement'on Tariffs and Trade. As you know, the Agreement entered into between the United States and the Belgo-Luxemburg Economic Union in 1935 provides that it may be terminated by either party after three years on six months' hotice. The inclusion of such a provision in all our trade agreements is required by the Trade Agreements Act. Our lawyers have suggested that the very general terms of the proposed Supple- mentary Agreement might possibly be interpreted as making it impossible for either party to the 1935 Agreement to exercise this right of termination. It is, of course, improbable that either of our Governments would wish to exercise this right of termination, but under our law we must, nevertheless, retain it in force. To suggest a formal amendment to the proposed Supplementary Agreement expressly excepting the ter- mination provision of the 1935 Agreement at this late date would cause considerable inconvenience and would give greater emphasis to this point than it deserves. I am therefore writing to make it clear that we would be signing the Supplementary Agreement with the understanding that its general language would not prevent notice of termination of the 1935 Agreement given by either party while we were both parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade from effecting termination of the 1935 Agreement in six months. I would appreciate it if you could give me the assurance that your Government has the same understanding. Sincerely yours WINTHROP G. BROWN WINTHROP G. BROWN Acting Chairman Mr. P. A. FORTHOMME The Delegation of Belgium-Luxemburg Palais des Nations

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