104. Memorandum for the Record, by the Under Secretary of State (Herter)1
SUBJECT
- Lead and Zinc
At the meeting with the Leadership this morning, and at a previous briefing session with the President, it was made very clear [Page 267] by the President that he felt badly that he should ever have approved of the so-called Administration Bill on lead and zinc. He told the Leadership that he would, of course, stand by his previous decision but that he would not approve the so-called Industry Amendment to the Mica Bill which jacked up the excise rates on these two metals above the figure agreed to by the Administration. He also indicated that if no bill came to him he would see that action was taken promptly under the Escape Clause by the Tariff Commission and had been assured that the Tariff Commission could act quite promptly so that from an industry point of view there would be little to chose between the two actions since the Administration Bill if enacted into legislation could not be implemented until January. He did, however, indicate that under the Escape Clause relief given to the industry would not be quite as great as under the Administration Bill.
P.S.—Since this meeting word has come that the Senate adopted the Administration Bill as an amendment to the Mica Bill. Word has likewise been received that when this was sent over to the House it is likely never to be referred to any committee by the Speaker or probably sent to Ways and Means where it will probably rest until after this session.2
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.0041/8–1857. Confidential.↩
- On October 4, in response to an application by the Emergency Lead–Zinc Committee of Washington, D.C., a domestic industry group, the Tariff Commission instituted its second escape clause investigation of lead and zinc imports.↩