MR BRUCE VISITS UNITED STATES

Southland Times, Issue 23693, 16 December 1938, Page 5

MR BRUCE VISITS UNITED STATES

TALKS WITH LEADERS AT WASHINGTON EUROPEAN SITUATION AND TRADE (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received December 15, 7.40 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 14. Contrary to assertions in some quarters that the Australian High Commissioner in London (Mr S. M. Bruce), who will arrive in New York tomorrow, is coming to open negotiations between Australia and the United States for a reciprocal trade agreement, the Australian Associated Press learns on excellent authority that no plans for any such step exist. Mr Bruce will at the most sound out what the opinion in Washington is about such an agree-

ment and will inform himself of the official American attitude to many questions of international affairs, particularly the European situation since the Munich agreement, on which he will report to the Australian Cabinet. The Australian Government is. now well aware of the American attitude to a trade treaty—that it would like to negotiate but cannot undertake to do so immediately, nor is it yet ready specifically to set a date when it will be prepared to examine the question. It is felt that Mr Bruce will not undertake this time to press actively the Australian request to open negotiations but will treat the whole question in an informal exploratory manner. Mr Bruce will spend'Friday in New York, probably consulting J. P. Morgan and Company and other banking groups. He will leave for Washington on Saturday. Mr Bruce will lunch with the Assistant Secretary of State (Mr Sumner Welles) on Monday and with the Secretary of the Treasury (Mr Henry Morgenthau). On Tuesday he will confer with the Chief of the Naval Staff, the Secretary of Agriculture (Mf H. A. Wallace) and other heads of the Administration. It is expected that he will have an audience with the President (Mr Franklin D. Roosevelt). It is emphasized that Mr Bruce’s exchange of views with a large group of officials’ and leaders’ opinion will be of a general nature and will not have any specific mission from the Commonwealth’s viewpoint. It is also indicated that his programme at Washington will include visits to many persons he has met or served with on a variety of European conferences, and from that standpoint it will be a matter of renewing old friendships rather than holding official discussions. The opinion is held in New York, however, that the visit will be of great value to the Australian Government from the viewpoint of information.