611.4131/1736a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)
444. My No. 395, July 27, 7 p.m. Will you ascertain from Brown and advise us promptly (a) whether the British refusal of our proposal on lumber must definitely be regarded as final, and (b) whether the British Government’s position on the legal question of reclassifying Douglas fir has been communicated to or is known to any of the lumber exporting countries having most-favored-nation rights. A solution to this problem is essential to the conclusion of the trade agreement. The more we study the problem the more we are impressed with the fact that there is no satisfactory alternative to our proposal.