Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-14

JdpdIleSe OFFICIALS mere anu II
by the interest the President she
In the polite manner of ia
their problem before American
officials, but have not consciously
been using pressure to get the
United States to agree to relax
restrictions for Red China. Still.
they have been making their
point.
Case Made by Japan
Mr.. Eisenhower indicated how
good a case they have made at
his press conference last Wednes-
day.
More and more of our own
industries come to us. come to
the Government (and) insist on
either higher quotas - higher
tariffs or sitter quotas, to stop
Japanese goods flowing in here:
and then we say to Japan, Now,
you mustn't trade with any of the
great area right next to you
where-which has been your
traditional trading area
Nov, what is Japan going to
do? That is what ! ask you, how
are they going to make a living?
:. How are they going to keep
going?"
Japan has been making it
clear to State Department off,
Gals for some time that she
would welcome "a very consider
able relaxation" of the reStric-
tons against Red Chinese trade,
as one high Administration Off
cial put it last week.
will Abide by Decisions
On the other hand, japanese
In Washington stress that their
governments policy is to abide
by whatever decisions are arrived
at in Paris, where the list of
items not to be shipped to Red
China are agreed upon.
Mr.. Eisenhower's linking of
American industry's pressure to
restrict imports of Japanese tex
tile goods with the Red China
trade problem was his own idea,
the Japanese say. They have
discreetly avoided this kind of
link.
Digging beyond the generaliza-
tons about limiting trade with
the Communist bloc can become
very confusing and unrewarding,
as many a Senator has found
over the years since the embargo
system was worked out.
Both the COCOON and CHIN
COM lists, the former regulating
shipment Of strategic goods to
the Soviet Union and other
European Communist countries.
the latter regulating trade with
Red China. are tediously long.
8 Methods Of Restriction
And there are three methods
by which trade is restricted. Some
items are banned completely
Others are held to a certain an
nual level Of export. Others are
merely watched" that is put
under surveillance and made sub
ject to restriction if an unusual
Communist buying spree de-
velops.
To judge the effectiveness of
the trade bans one must know
not only what items are re-
stricted, but whether the en-
barge is absolute or merely on a
quota system. and how effective
the watch" system is.
Senators have tried time and
again to find out. But the ex-
ecutive department. under both
Democratic and Republican ad-
ministration. has been adamant
in withholding the details.
The reason is that public dis
closure of what other nations
are preventing their traders
from making profitable deals
with the Soviet bloc would rise
wrecking the governments of
those nations.
Pledged to Secrecy
The President is pledged to
secrecy.
The result: Congress and the
general public must take it pref
ty much on faith that the Dan
on sending strategic materials
to European Communist coun-
tries and Red China is effective.
Secretary of Commerce Weeks
indicated recently that the
United States may have reso ted
to a classic stall in preventing
other free world countries from
increasing their commerce with
Red China.
He said the United States is
now willing to lower the bar
riers to trade with Red China il
those for the European Commu-
mist bloc are raised.
This would mean that many
European nations would have to
accept further restrictions on
their trade with East European
nations and the Soviet Union at
time when Europe seeks ex-
pansion there.
Lifting restrictions on trade