611.5831/254

The Swedish Minister (Boström) to the Secretary of State

Sir: I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of May 25, 1935, referring to the methods of valuation applied to [Page 744] Swedish products in pursuance to the provisions of the Customs Laws of the United States of America.

In the course of the negotiations leading up to the conclusion of the trade agreement, signed today, between United States of America and the Kingdom of Sweden, I was given an opportunity to discuss with representatives of the various branches of the United States Government the application of the present rules of valuation, and I mentioned that in many cases they had resulted in an additional burden being laid on the importation to the United States of Swedish goods, as a consequence of the high cost of production prevailing in Sweden. I also had occasion to explain that this application had been particularly burdensome upon those commodities which enjoy a limited market within Sweden.

Your Excellency has been good enough to state that the officials of the appropriate branches of the United States Government have given sympathetic consideration to every detail of both my formal and informal representations. You have further informed me that you were asked to say that, in dealing with specific cases in the future, they will continue to bear in mind the representations made by me in this connection.

In accordance with instructions received I have the honour to express to you, Mr. Secretary, my Government’s sincere appreciation of the sympathetic consideration given to their representations in this respect.

The Swedish Government feel that the friendly collaboration offered by the United States Government in the discussion of these problems is a most encouraging instance of the readiness with which both Governments are determined to apply the general principles embodied in the commercial agreement, signed today, with a view to promoting the friendly trade relations happily existing between our respective countries.

With renewed assurances [etc.]

W. Boström

[For text of reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Sweden, signed May 25, 1935, see Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 79, or 49 Stat. 3755.

The texts of statements made May 25, 1935, by the Secretary of State and the Swedish Minister are printed in Department of State, Press Releases, May 25, 1935, pages 369–370. See ibid., July 13, 1935, page 43, for text of letter dated July 8, 1935, from President Roosevelt to the Secretary of the Treasury, regarding the application of proclaimed duties to the products of third countries.]