611.6731/199: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Turkey (Washington)
49. Your 26, June 23, 11 a.m. It will be roughly 3 weeks before our studies concerning whether a basis exists for entering into trade [Page 946] agreement negotiations with Turkey will be far enough advanced for consideration by the interdepartmental committee on trade agreements. If it should be decided as a result of the deliberations of that committee that a basis for negotiations exists, our established procedure for the negotiation of trade agreements, involving a preliminary announcement to the public and a preliminary exchange of desiderata with the other government followed later by formal public notice of intention to negotiate and public hearings, would require at the minimum an additional 14 weeks, making in all 17 weeks from the present until active negotiation of the agreement with the representatives of the Turkish Government could begin.
It will not be possible, therefore, for us to fix a definite date when we would be prepared to meet the Turkish delegation until it has been determined that a basis for a trade agreement exists. If everything proceeds satisfactorily, it may be possible for us to meet the Turkish delegation at the beginning of November, but in any event it could not be earlier than that. In discussing this matter with the Turkish officials you may at your discretion use any of the information given above.
Since we are unable at this time to present a list of our desiderata in connection with the possible negotiation of an agreement with Turkey, we are not in a position to request an official list of commodities on which the Turks desire reductions. You might, however, suggest informally to the Turkish authorities that it would be helpful for us in connection with our studies to have such a list but you should explain that we are not prepared to give a list in return at this time.