Archive Report
Archive Report
Initiation of Conversations on Trade Reciprocity
The Initial Move toward carrying out the Democratic platform's advocacy of “reciprocal tariff agreements with other nations” was made on July 12, 1933, when the State Department asked the diplomatic representatives in Washington of Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia for the views of their governments on a proposal by President Roosevelt that “exploratory studies” be undertaken to ascertain the possibility of negotiating trade agreements with those countries. The administration's offer received an immediate favorable response. Preliminary conversations with Brazil and Colombia, and also with Cuba, were begun a few weeks later, and similar discussions with Argentina were initiated in the latter part of September.
The July overtures to nations which are leaders in the Latin-American trade with the United States occurred ...