Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statues, including section 332 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (46 Stat. 698), the Trade Agreements Act approved June 12, 1934, as amended (48 Stat. 943; 57 Stat. 125; 59 Stat. 410), and the Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1948 (Pub. Law 792, 80th Cong.), and in the interest of the foreign-affairs functions of the United States and in order that the interests of the various branches of American economy shall be effectively promoted and safeguarded through the administration of the trade-agreements program, it is hereby ordered as follows: PART I-ORGANIZATION 1. There is hereby established the Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Agreements (hereinafter referred to as the Trade Agreements Committee), which shall act as the agency through which the President shall, in accordance with section 4 of the said Trade Agreements Act, as amended, seek information and advice before concluding a trade agreement. With a view to the conduct of the trade-agreements program in the general public interest through a coordination of the interests of American industry (including agriculture), of American commerce and labor, and of American military, financial, and foreign policy, the Trade Agreements Committee shall consist of persons designated from their respective agencies by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, and the Administrator for Economic Cooperation. The representative from the Department of State shall be the Chairman of the Trade Agreements Committee. 2. There is hereby established the Committee for Reciprocity Information, which shall act as the agency to which, in accordance with section 4 of the Trade Agreements Act, as amended, the views of interested persons with regard to any proposed trade agreement to be concluded under the said Act shall be presented. The Committee for Reciprocity Information shall consist of the same persons as the Trade Agreements Committee. The representative from the Department of Commerce shall be the Chairman of the Committee for Reciprocity Information. 3. The Trade Agreements Committee and the Committee for Reciprocity Information may invite the participation in their activities of other government agencies in any manner consistent with relevant legislation and this order. Each of the said committees may from time to time designate such subcommittees, and prescribe such procedures and rules and regulations as it may deem necessary for the conduct of its functions. PART II-CONCLUSION OF AGREEMENTS 4. Before entering into negotiations concerning any proposed trade agreement under the Trade Agreements Act, as amended, the Trade Agreements Committee shall submit to the President for his approval a list of all articles imported into the United States which it is proposed should be considered in such negotiations for possible modification of duties and other import restrictions, imposition of additional import restrictions, or specific continuance of existing customs or excise treatment. As soon as possible after the approval by the President of such list, as originally submitted or in amended form, and transmission thereof to the United States Tariff Commission, the Trade Agreements Committee shall cause notice of intention to negotiate such agreement, together with the said list of articles, to be published in the Federal Register. Such notice and list shall also be issued to the press, and sufficient copies thereof shall be supplied to the Tariff Commission and the Committee for Reciprocity Information for use in connection with such hearings as the Commission and the Committee may hold with respect thereto. Such notice, together with the list or a statement as to its availability, shall also be published in the Department of State Bulletin, the Treasury Decisions, and the Foreign Commerce Weekly. 5. Upon receipt by the Tariff Commission of the list specified in paragraph 4 hereof, the Commission shall make an investigation and as soon as possible, and not later than one hundred twenty days after such receipt, shall report to the President its findings as to each article specified in the list in accordance with the said Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1948. A copy of such report to the President shall at the same time be transmitted to the Trade Agreements Committee. Such report shall be kept confidential by the Tariff Commission and the Trade Agreements Committee except, in the case of a report a copy of which has been submitted to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representative s and the Committee on Finance of the Senate pursuant to section 5(b) of the Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1948, any portions thereof which have been made public by one or both such Committees. The procedure and rules and regulations for the investigations by the Tariff Commission, and for the hearings to be held in connection therewith, shall from time to time be prescribed by the Commission. 6. Any interested person desiring to present his views with respect to articles in the list specified in paragraph 4 hereof, or with respect to any other aspect of a proposed trade agreement, may present them to the Committee for Reciprocity Information, which shall accord reasonable opportunity for the presentation of such views. 7. The Tariff Commission shall furnish facts, statistics, and other information at its command in accordance with the provisions of this order or of the Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1948. With respect to each article imported into the United States which is considered by the Trade Agreements Committee for possible modification of duties and other import restrictions, imposition of additional import restrictions, or specific continuance of existing customs or excise treatment in a trade agreement, the Tariff Commission shall make an analysis of the facts relative to the production, trade, and consumption of the article involved, to the probable effect of granting a concession thereon, and to the competitive factors involved. Such analysis shall be submitted in digest form to the Trade Agreements Committee. 8. With respect to each article exported from the United States which is considered by the Trade Agreements Committee for possible inclusion in a trade agreement, the Department of Commerce shall make an analysis of the facts relative to the production, trade, and consumption of the article involved, to the probable effect of obtaining a concession thereon, and to the competitive factors involved. Such analysis shall be submitted in digest form to the Trade Agreements Committee. 9. After analysis and consideration of (a) the report by the Tariff Commission referred to in paragraph 5 hereof, (b) the studies and other information made available by the Tariff Commission under paragraph 7 hereof, (c) the studies of the Department of Commerce provided for in paragraph 8 hereof, (d) the views of interested persons presented to the Committee for Reciprocity Information pursuant to paragraph 6 hereof, and (e) any other information available to the Trade Agreements Committee, that Committee shall make such recommendations to the President relative to the conclusion of the trade agreement under consideration, and to the provisions to be included therein, as are considered appropriate to carry out the purposes set forth in the Trade Agreements Act, as amended. Should the report by the Tariff Commission referred to in paragraph 5 hereof not be received by the President within one hundred twenty days after the receipt by the Commission of the list referred to in paragraph 4 hereof, the Trade Agreements Committee may make such recommendations to the President notwithstanding the absence of such report. If such recommendations to the President with respect to the duties, import restrictions, or customs or excise treatment of any article imported into the United States fail to comply with any of the limits or minimum requirements set forth in the report of the Tariff Commission referred to in paragraph 5 hereof, the Trade Agreements Committee shall identify the article or articles with respect to which it recommends that such limits or minimum requirements shall not be complied with and shall state the reason for its recommendations with respect to such article or articles. If there is dissent from any recommendation to the President with respect to a concession in any trade agreement, the President shall be furnished a full report by the dissenting member or members of the Trade Agreements Committee, giving the reasons for his or their dissent. 10. There shall be applicable to each concession with respect to an article imported into the United States which is granted by the United States in any trade agreement hereafter entered into a clause providing in effect that if, as a result of unforeseen developments and of such concession, such article is being imported in such increased quantities and under such conditions as to cause or threaten serious injury to the domestic industry producing like or similar articles, the United States shall be free to withdraw the concession, in whole or in part, or to modify it, to the extent and for such time as may be necessary to prevent such injury. 11. There shall be obtained from every government or instrumentality thereof with which any trade agreement is hereafter entered into a most-favored-nation a commitment securing for the exports of the United States the benefits of all tariff concessions and other tariff advantages accorded by the other party or parties to the agreement to any third country. This provision shall be subject to the minimum of necessary exceptions and shall be designed to obtain the greatest possible benefits for exports from the United States. PART III-ADMINISTRATION OF AGREEMENTS 12. The Trade Agreements Committee shall at all times keep informed of the operation and effect of all trade agreements which are in force. It shall recommend to the President or to one or more of the agencies represented on the Committee such action as is considered required or appropriate to carry out any such trade agreement and any rectifications and amendments thereof not requiring compliance with the procedures set forth in paragraphs 4, 5, and 6 hereof. The Trade Agreements Committee shall, in particular, keep informed of discriminations by any country against the trade of the United States which cannot be removed by normal diplomatic representations, and, if it considers that the public interest will be served thereby, shall recommend to the President the withholding from such country of the benefit of concessions granted under the Trade Agreements Act, as amended. 13. The Tariff Commission, upon the request of the President, upon its own motion, or upon application of any interested part when in the judgment of the Tariff Commission there is good and sufficient reason therefor, shall make an investigation to determine whether, as a result of unforeseen developments and of the concession granted by the United States on any article to which a clause similar to that provided for in paragraph 10 hereof is applicable, such article is being imported in such increased quantities and under such conditions as to cause or threaten serious injury to the domestic industry producing like or similar articles. Should the Tariff Commission find, as a result of its investigation, that such injury is being caused or threatened, it shall recommend to the President, for his consideration in the light of the public interest, the withdrawal of the concession, in whole or in part, or the modification of the concession, to the extent and for such time as the Tariff Commission finds necessary to prevent such injury. In the course of any investigation under this paragraph, the Tariff Commission shall hold public hearings, giving reasonable public notice hereof, and shall afford reasonable opportunity for parties interested to be present, to produce evidence, and to be heard at such hearings. The procedure and rules and regulations for such investigations and hearings shall from time to time be prescribed by the Tariff Commission. 14. The Tariff Commission shall at all times keep informed concerning the operation and effect of provisions relating to duties or other import restrictions of the United States contained in trade agreements heretofore or hereafter entered into by the President under the authority of the Trade Agreements Act, as amended. The Tariff Commission, at least once a year, shall submit to the President and to the Congress a factual report on the operation of the trade-agreements program. 15. The Committee for Reciprocity Information shall accord reasonable opportunity to interested persons to present their views with respect to the operation and effect of trade agreements which are in force or to any aspect thereof. PART IV-REVOCATIONS 16. Executive Order No. 6750 of June 27, 1934, prescribing regulations relating to the giving of public notice and the presentation of views in connection with foreign trade agreements, as amended by Executive Order No. 9647 of October 25, 1945, and Executive Order No. 9832 of February 25, 1947, prescribing procedures for the administration of the reciprocal trade-agreements program, are hereby revoked. HARRY S. TRUMAN THE WHITE HOUSE, October 5, 1948