ARGENTINE TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 15, 18 January 1940, Page 9

ARGENTINE TRADE

U.S. NEGOTIATIONS"

WHY THE SUSPENSION?

, WASHINGTON, January 16. Speculation as to the,true cause , of--' the suspension of the trade treaty negb?^ tiations between the United' States and;, Argentina was redoubled when, a vieta?- ' ber of the Tariff " Cpmmission, Mr." Manuel Fox, told the, Ways and Means Committee ,of the House of Representa-.; tives, which is holding hearings on an „ extension of the Trade Agreements'^ Act, that the State Department, pro-;; tested against Anglo-French trade discriminations against the United States . in Argentina if such discrimination's ' existed, ' - .*, . Ths cryptic statement, on whiclt ; the Assistant Secretary of State, ;M£' Henry Grady, who had been' waiting for. two days to testify, refused' ' .to comment, raised, the question whether there had been undisclosed diplomatic \ exchanges regarding the Argentine situation between Britain, France, and the United States, and also the ques-.' tion .of whether the United States holds Argentina or Britain and France responsible for the Argentine fiasco.. The extreme reticence by everyone concerned seemed to indicate the de■licateness of the situation. Congressman Woodruff pointed outthat Argentina announced that she would buy from no other country any- , 1 thing that she could obtain from Britain and France. "That indicates that,, , she had an agreement, with Britain. * and France so favourable that she could not afford to accept any. United States proposition," he said. Mr. Fox then stated that the negotiations with Argentina collapsed be--1 cause no assurances were given that discriminations would 'be stopped, but Ihe declined to amplify the statement. The ■ State Department later an- • nounced that it had discussed the exchange situation between Britain,' France, and Argentina with Britain . and-France last December for the purpose of obtaining information. Such discussion, however, was not diplomatically regarded as a protest, and negotiations continued thereafter.. •