Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The American Republics, Volume VI

811.20 (D) Regulations/2246a

The Secretary of State to Diplomatic Representatives in the American Republics

Washington, May 13, 1941.

Sirs: Reference is made to the Department’s circular instructions (File Nos. 811.20 (D) Regulations/883a and 1090a) of December 12, 1940 and January 30, 1941⁶ requesting that information be submitted to the Department in regard to the import into the other American republics of the articles and materials the exportation of which from the United States is subject to license under the authority of the Act of July 2, 1940.

There have recently been transmitted to all the missions in the other American republics copies of Schedules 1, 2, 3 and 4 issued by the Administrator of Export Control listing all of the articles and materials subject to export restriction at the present time.⁷ It is requested that information identical with that sought in regard to the commodities referred to in the Department’s instructions of December 12 and January 30 be submitted as promptly as possible in regard to all the articles and materials listed in the above-mentioned schedules which were not among those referred to in the instructions.

The additional commodities should also be brought to the attention of the government to which you are accredited in connection with the considerations set forth in the penultimate paragraph of the instruction of December 12. Advantage may be taken of the opportunity to point out, in those countries in which a system of export control has not yet been adopted, that the adoption of such a system will facilitate the issuance of export licenses in the United States and that it will be possible to issue general licenses in the case of many of these additional commodities if the other American republic has in its turn prohibited their export to destinations other than the United States and American republics having systems of export control.

Very truly yours,

For the Secretary of State:

Dean Acheson

6. Latter not printed.
7. A Presidential Proclamation of March 4, 1941, stipulated that on and after April 15 a license to export would be required for any model, design, photograph or any document containing specifications or technical and descriptive information of use in producing articles or materials, the export of which was forbidden. (See Department of State Bulletin, March 8, 1941, p. 245.) The Administrator of Export Control, Brig. Gen. Russell L. Maxwell, was authorized to determine the form of these articles and materials (see ibid., March 15, 1941, p. 283), and subsequently he issued the Schedules here referred to (see ibid., April 19, 1941, p. 474). For texts of Schedules 1, 2, 3, and 4, see 6 Federal Register, 1536, 1814, 2004, and 2033, respectively.