Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 61 Part 4.djvu/381

 61 STAT.] UNITED KINGDOM-RECIPROCAL TRADE-OCT. 30,1947 The Acting Chairmanof the United States Delegation to the Acting Head of the BritishDelegation OCTOBER 30, 1947 DEAR MR. HFTLrOR : A point of legal detail has been brought to my attention in con- nection 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 Agreement of 1939[1] between the United States and the United Kingdom in- operative so long as both the United States and the United Kingdom are parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. As you know, Article XXV of the 1939 Agreement provides that it may be terminated by either party after three years on six months' notice. 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 Supplementary Agreement might possibly be interpreted as making it impossible for either party to the 1939 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 Article XXV of the 1939 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 1939 Agreement given by either party while we were both parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade from effecting termina- tion of the 1939 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 WInTHBOP G. BROWW Acting Chairman Mr. J. R. C. HELmroE, C.M.G., United Kingdom Delegation, Palaisdes Nations. [The agreement was signed Nov. 17, 1938; entered into force provisionally, with exception of article XI and Schedule III, Jan. 1, 1939, and definitively Dec. 24, 1939.] 3727 54 Stat. 1897. 19U.8.0.11351 note. Right of termina- tion. 54 Stat. 1906. 48 Stat. 943. 19 U. .C.. 1351- 1354. 54 Stat. 190. 61 Stat., Pts.Band

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