Letter to Congressional Leaders on Trade With the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Mongolia

To the Congress of the United States:

I hereby transmit the documents referred to in subsection 402(d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2432(d)(1)) ("the Act"), with respect to a further extension of the authority to waive subsections (a) and (b) of section 402 of the Act. These documents continue in effect this waiver authority for a further 12-month period.

I include as part of these documents my determination that further extension of the waiver authority will substantially promote the objectives of section 402. I also include my determination that continuation of the waivers applicable to the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, the Soviet Union, and the Mongolian People's Republic will substantially promote the objectives of section 402. The attached documents also include my reasons for recommending the extension of the waiver authority, and for my determination that continuation of the waivers currently in effect for the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, the Soviet Union, and the Mongolian People's Republic will substantially promote the objectives of section 402. My determination with respect to the waiver applicable to the People's Republic of China and the reasons therefor is transmitted separately.

I note that the extension of the waiver applicable to the Soviet Union will apply to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This in no way affects the long-standing U.S. policy of not recognizing the forcible incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union or our support for the right of the Baltic States to reclaim their independence.

George Bush

The White House,

June 3, 1991.