Harry S. Truman photo

Proclamation 2782—Supplementing Proclamations of December 16, 1947 and January 1, 1948, Carrying Out General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and Exclusive Trade Agreement with Cuba, Respectively

April 22, 1948


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Whereas, pursuant to the authority conferred by section 350 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by section 1 of the Act of June 12, 1934, by the Joint Resolution approved June 7, 1943, and by sections 2 and 3 of the Act of July 5, 1945 (48 Stat. 943 and 944, ch. 474, 57 Stat. 125, ch. 118, 59 Stat. 410 and 411, ch. 269; 19 U.S.C. (1946) 1351), the period within which said authority may be exercised having been extended by section 1 of said Act of July 5, 1945 until the expiration of three years from June 12, 1945 (48 Stat. 944, ch. 474, 59 Stat. 410, ch. 269; 19 U.S.C. (1946) 1352 (c)), on October 30, 1947 the President entered into a trade agreement with the Governments of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Kingdom of Belgium, the United States of Brazil, Burma, Canada, Ceylon, the Republic of Chile the Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Czechoslovak Republic, the French Republic, India, Lebanon, the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, new Zealand, the Kingdom of Norway, Pakistan, Southern Rhodesia, Syria, the Union of South Africa, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which trade agreement consists of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the related protocol of Provisional Application thereof, together with the Final Act Adopted at the Conclusion of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment which authenticated the texts of said general agreement and said protocol;

Whereas, on December 16, 1947, by proclamation 2761A the President proclaimed such modifications of existing duties and other import restrictions of the United States of America and such continuance of existing customs or excise treatment of articles imported into the United States of America as were then found to be required or appropriate to carry out said trade agreement on and after January 1, 1948 (12 F.R. 8866), which proclamation has been supplemented by Proclamation 2769 of January 30, 1948 (13 F.R. 467);

Whereas, pursuant to the authority conferred by said section 350, the period within which said authority may be exercised having been so extended, on October 30, 1947 the President entered into an exclusive trade agreement with the Government of the Republic of Cuba (T.D. 51819 (Customs)), which exclusive trade agreement includes certain portions of other documents made a part thereof and provides for the customs treatment in respect of ordinary customs duties of products of the Republic of Cuba imported into the United States of America;

Whereas, on January 1, 1948 by Proclamation 2764 the president proclaimed such modifications of existing duties and other import restrictions of the United States of America in respect of products of the Republic of Cuba and such continuance of existing customs and excise treatment of products of the Republic of Cuba imported into the United States of America as were then found to be required or appropriate to carry out said exclusive trade agreement on and after January 1, 1948 (13 F.R. 25 and 26), which proclamation has been supplemented by said proclamation of January 30, 1948;

Whereas, said protocol of provisional application has been signed by the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic, and said Government has become a contracting party to said general agreement;

Whereas, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, determine that the application of such of the concessions provided for in part I of schedule XX of said general agreement which were withheld from application in accordance with article XXVII of said general agreement by said proclamation of December 16, 1947 as are identified in the following list is required or appropriate to carry out on and after April 21, 1948, said trade agreement specified in the 1st recital of this proclamation:

Whereas, I determine that, in view of the determination set forth in the 6th recital of this proclamation, the deletion of the second item 1527(c) (2) from the list set forth in the 7th recital of said proclamation of January 30, 1948 is required or appropriate to carry out, on and after April 21, 1948, said trade agreement specified in the 1st recital of this proclamation;

Whereas, I determine that, in view of the determination set forth in the 6th recital of this proclamation the following amendments of the lists set forth in the 8th and 9th recitals of said proclamation of January 1, 1948, as amended and rectified, are required or appropriate to carry out, on and after April 21, 1948, said exclusive trade agreement specified in the 3rd recital of this proclamation:

(a) the deletion of the second item 1527(c)(2), added to said 8th recital by subdivision (a) of part II of said proclamation of January 30, 1948;

(b) the modification of the third item 412 in said 9th recital to read as follows:

412 Manufactures of wood or bark, or of which wood or bark is the component material of chief value, not specially provided for: Clothespins other than spring clothespins--------20% ad val.;

(c) The deletion of the first item 1513 in said 9th recital;

(d) The modification of the last item 1513 in said 9th recital to read as follows:

1513 Toys and parts of toys, not specially provided for (not including any toys described in item 1513 (second) of Part I of Schedule XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade): If wholly or in chief value of china, porcelain, parian, bisque, earthenware, or stoneware-----28% ad val.

Other-----56% ad val.;

(e) The deletion of item 1527(c)(2) in said 9th recital as changed by subdivision (d) of part II of said proclamation of January 30, 1948; and

(f) The modification of item 1530(e) in said 9th recital to read as follows:

1530(e) Boots, shoes, or other footwear (including athletic or sporting boots and shoes), made wholly or in chief value of leather, not specially provided for (except boots, shoes, or other footwear made by the process or method known as welt, or sewed or stitched by the process or method known as McKay, or having molded soles laced to uppers; slippers for housewear; and moccasins of the Indian handicraft type, having no line of demarcation between the soles and the uppers):

Turn or turned:

Boots and shoes-------------------------- 8% ad val.

Other, if for men, youths, or boys---------16% ad val.

Huaraches-------------------------------- 8% ad val.

Other, if for men, youths, or boys--------- 8% ad val.

Now, Therefore, be it known that, acting under the authority of said section 350 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended:

PART I

To the end that said trade agreement specified in the 3rd recital of this proclamation may be carried out, I do further proclaim that, effective on and after April 21, 1948, the lists set forth in the 8th and 9th recitals of said proclamation of January 1, 1948, as amended and rectified, shall be further amended in the manner indicated in the 8th recital of this proclamation.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this 22nd day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-eight and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-second.

Signature of Harry S. Truman

HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President:

ROBERT A. LOVETT,

Acting Secretary of State.

Harry S Truman, Proclamation 2782—Supplementing Proclamations of December 16, 1947 and January 1, 1948, Carrying Out General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and Exclusive Trade Agreement with Cuba, Respectively Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/287238

Simple Search of Our Archives