Слике страница
PDF
ePub

Additional information submitted for the record by-Continued
Columbia River Packers Association, Inc., letter from James H.
Cellars, public relations officer....

Page

1623

1313

Cundy-Bettoney Co., Inc., letter from Arthur E. Hastedt, vice presi-
dent, transmitting statement___

1627

Elliott Co., letter from W. A. Elliott, president, enclosing additional
letters and information__

1701

Empire State Petroleum Association, Inc., statement of Harry B. Hilts,
secretary_

1684

International Chamber of Commerce, Inc., letter from Thomas J.
Watson, Jr., transmitting statement of United States Council..
International House, New Orleans, statement of..
Keating, Hon. Kenneth B., letter from___

1328

1523

1716

Labor Department:

Letter and statement from Hon. James P. Mitchell, Secretary,
with respect to H. R. 5550, January 25, 1955---

1291

Letter from J. Ernest Wilkins, Acting Secretary, transmitting
additional information_.

1299

Loos, Karl D., statement of___

1594

ager..

McKeldin, Hon. Theodore R., Governor of Maryland, letter from..
Merritt, John A., & Co., letter from G. E. Roper, Jr., traffic man-

Monsanto Chemical Co., letter from E. J. Putzell, Jr.

1326

1694

1657

National Association of Photographic Manufacturers, Inc., statement
on behalf of American photographic manufacturing industry...

National Association of Wool Manufacturers, statement of...

National Creameries Association, statement of Otie M. Reed, Wash-
ington representative..

1713

1565

National Electrical Manufacturers Association, letter from A. F.
Metz, chairman, import committee.

1697

National Grange, letter from Lloyd C. Halvorson, economist, trans-
mitting statement..

1561

National Lead and Zinc Committee, statement of Otto Herres, chair-

man_

1686

Pacific American Steamship Association, letter from Ralph B. Dewey,

vice president...

Office of Defense Mobilization: Formal requests for investigation
under sec. 7, Public Law 86, table..

1260

1538

Additional information submitted for the record by-Continued

Rubber Manufacturers Association, Inc., letter from C. P. McFadden,
chairman, footwear division, transmitting statement.

Page

1658

Scientific Apparatus Makers Association, statement of Kenneth
Andersen, executive vice president, laboratory apparatus and optical
sections.

1706

Simpson, Hon. Richard M., letter from, enclosing letter from G. S.
Tompkins, president, American Viscose Corp....

1694

Tungsten Institute, letter from James A. White, executive secretary,
transmitting statement of W. Lunsford Long, president....

Typerwiter Manufacturers Export Association, statement of..

United States Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Inc., letter from
Paul A. Goldschmidt, executive secretary, transmitting statement. 1535
United States National Fruit Export Council, letter from Harold
Angier, secretary.

1685

1635

1577

Wildlife Management Institute, letter from Daniel A. Poole, editor,
Outdoor News Bulletin, transmitting statement.

1622

Wine Institute, letter from Edward W. Wooton_

Wollensak Optical Co., letter from Robert E. Springer, treasurer_
Zildjian, Avedis, Co., letter from R. Zildjian..

1615

1716

1630

ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATION OF CUSTOMS AND TARIFF LAWS AND THE TRADE AGREEMENTS PROGRAM

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1956

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS, TARIFFS, AND

RECIPROCAL TRADE AGREEMENTS OF THE
COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS,
Washington, D. C.

The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to recess, in the committee room of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Hon. Burr Harrison (acting chairman) presiding.

Mr. HARRISON. The committee will please come to order. As our first witness this morning, we are happy to have with us Dr. Arthur S. Flemming, Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization.

Good morning, Doctor. I wish you would please identify for the record your associates.

Mr. FLEMMING. Thomas R. Baldwin, Deputy General Counsel, Office of Defense Mobilization, and Harold Gresham, Special Assistant to the Director on Foreign Trade.

Mr. HARRISON. You may proceed in your own way, Doctor.

STATEMENT OF ARTHUR S. FLEMMING, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF DEFENSE MOBILIZATION, ACCOMPANIED BY HAROLD GRESHAM, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR ON FOREIGN TRADE, AND THOMAS R. BALDWIN, DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL, OFFICE OF DEFENSE MOBILIZATION

Dr. FLEMMING. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am glad to appear before this subcommittee in connection with its broad study of our customs and tariff laws and the trade-agreements program. I understand that you desire a description of the duties and responsibilities of the Office of Defense Mobilization which might contribute to such a study and the procedures followed by us in discharging our responsibilities.

As you know, the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization has been charged with the responsibility for the coordination of all mobilization activities of the Government and for the direction and control of operations under certain mobilization statutes. That responsibility includes the determination of a mobilization base adequate and adaptable to varieties of emergency conditions ranging from mobilization without an attack on continental United States to mobilization accompanied by damaging attacks on the continental United States. When we refer to the mobilization base, we refer to

1247

that combination of people, materials, facilities, and equipment that would be available to deal with an emergency situation.

It is clear, of course, that mobilization base requirements for an emergency that involved an attack on continental United States would be drastically different from those for an emergency that did not involve such an attack. We are authorized to use various forms of Government assistance to encourage private industry to install additional capacity necessary to complete and to maintain the mobilization base.

While it can hardly be questioned that the development and maintenance of a well rounded and flexible mobilization base is an important national objective, no one would seriously argue that efforts to achieve any single national objective can be made without due regard for the requirements of other basic national programs. That mobilization programs should be considered in the light of other executive programs was recognized by the President in the Executive order outlining the responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization. This order created a Defense Mobilization Board to advise the Director consisting of the heads of the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Federal Civil Defense Administration. All mobilization programs having national impact are discussed and reviewed by that Board, assisted, when appropriate, by heads of other affected agencies. As with other national considerations the effect of mobilization programs on our foreign economic policies has always been carefully considered in this forum.

Because foreign trade policies and practices strongly affect our total national security position and have a bearing on the development and maintenance of our mobilization base, ODM engages in a number of activities in which this subcommittee may be interested. These arise generally from our efforts to maintain the mobilization base or from defense responsibilities that have been placed upon the executive branch by a foreign trade law.

In our efforts to increase productive capacity and supply we have a variety of activities that affect foreign trade in one way or another. For example, we have built a stockpile of strategic and critical materials to avoid dependence on foreign sources of supply in time of war. Many of these materials are purchased from foreign sources and are brought into the United States duty-free in accordance with an express provision of law. We have found it appropriate from time to time to sponsor or support legislation to suspend duties on imports of materials which were scarce in the United States because of defense requirements. The President has assigned to us the job of advising the Department of Agriculture in connection with the barter of surplus agricultural commodities for strategic and critical materials under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act. This advice is given after receiving recommendations from appropriate interagency groups.

Ordinarily we become involved in issues regarding imports of commodities because of the relationship of those issues to the maintenance of the mobilization base.

Under the Buy American Act we have been directed by the President to provide advice to procuring agencies upon their request whenever they propose to reject a foreign bid in order to protect essential

« ПретходнаНастави »