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fioii. Marr-Jner B« Fceles ITIllinw, Board of Governors Federal Reserve System Federal Reserve Building EflllWglUM 25i P . C Deer fir. Eccless fhie i i to advise YOU tfcftt I have recently established en Office of International 2 rede Operations to administer the former Foreign Economic Administration functions which have b^en transferred to tiiis Department, tnd h&ve deei^jnated Mr. Arthur Puiil to direct th?:t work. These f unctions, es you may KHOY/, include control of commercial exports; foreign requireisants ce~ tertsin&tion; aad foreign trade proisotion generally. For your further infor-ut Lion, I && enclosing • copy of t l e t t e r which I have now addressed to Mr. Peul designating bias, in adaitios, as Assistant to the Secretary on all interne, tion&l trfde mutters, &nd as the Department*s repreEentctiv© on the Executive 6«MlttM on Eeonoedc Foreign Policy, «8 well as say alternate on the Nfi.tioacl i.dvisoiy Comicil on International Monetary bud Financial Probiex^. The i ? t t e r designation i£, of course, particularly pertinent fro.n /oar viewpoint. I would, tr;erpfore, vsry smch appreciate yowr coop«Kration in inforsiing your people of these assignments zn& he.ving thea work M/th »r. Pfe"ai in set-tir^ up the neeeGsary liaison and working arrangements. Sincerely, •'••"•" • • . • • • • • • . - • : Secretory o f Commerce COPY <pyr? SECRETARY O F COT^'IJK WASHINGTON November 29, 1 Mr. Arthur Paul DirectorOffice of International Trade Operations Department of Commerce Washington 25, D. C. Dear Arthur: As you know, the Congress has fully committed the Government to the principle of international economic cooperation by specifically declaring it to be the policy of the United States: "to seek to bring about further agreement and cooperation among nations and international bodies, as soon as possible, on ways and means which will best reduce obstacles to and restrictions upon international trade, eliminate unfair trade practices, promote mutually advantageous commercial relations, and otherwise facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade and promote the stability of international economic relations . . . " (Public, No. 171, 79th Congress) As the agency of Government primarily charged with the promotion and development of our foreign and domestic commerce, this Department is directly concerned with this policy and I consider it to be our clear responsibility to take the initiative in implementing it and assuring its effectuation in cooperation with the Department of State and other appropriate agencies. Pending completion of our departmental reorganization, this responsibility requires immediate arrangements within the Department to centralize the direction of all its activities concerned with the expansion of foreign trade. C Accordingly, in addition to your present duties as Director' op the Office of International Trade Operations, I am hereby designating you as Assistant to the Secretary with responsibility for providing general direction over all international trade activities of the Department, including those of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. In this capacity, it will be your function to assist in the formulation of our foreign economic and commercial policy; to represent the Department in connection with the proposed International Trade Organization and all other economic, financial, and trade agencies and conferences in the international field; and generally to develop and assist in the execution of aggressive plans for achieving a high level of foreign trade on a sustained basis. I consider the enlargement and strengthening of our commercial and economic representation abroad to be an integral part of the foregoing functions, and I -prill, therefore, also look to you to work out an effective program for this purpose, drawing upon the advice and experience of the foreign trade community and working with the State Department and other agencies concerned. I am, also, hereby designating you as the Departments •representative on the Executive Committee on Fconomic voreign Policy, and as my alternate on the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems so that you may be able to relate their work and policies to your foregoing functions. I am aware of the particularly rich experience and important information regarding worldwide commercial relations which the personnel now included in the Office of International Trade Operations have acquired in connection with their participation in the Government's wartime foreign trade activities. Likewise, the personnel of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce have accumulated a body of very useful technical knowledge in the field of foreign trade. I believe, therefore, that we now have in the Department the staff nucleus with the requisite "know-how" to embark on an immediate and effective program to enlarge American foreign trade from the standpoint both of exports and imports. While administratively the present organization pattern of the Department must prevail, I want you to arrange an integration of the functions and staff of the Office of International Trade Operations and those of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce concerned primarily with international trade matters, toward the objective of a single unified program and operations. This will involve, principally, the Bureau's Division of International Economy and those units o^ the Division of Commercial and Economic Information dealing with foreign trade. In the integration of the two staffs rrentioned above and the development of a basic plan of organization, I should like you to work closely with Mr. Gladieux and his assistants. I am asking the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce as a whole to cooperate with and assist you on all of the above matters. I suggest, too, that you will want to keep in touch "with other parts of the Department in their dealings with related international problems, e.g., aviation, patents. I am sending copies of this letter to the other Government agencies concerned. Sincerely, (Signed) H. A. WALLACE D«e«&b*r 18, 1945* of Cornieroe, Dear ¥r B@cei.pt i s acknowledged of jour l e t t e r of £ 6, 194.5 ix.for*ii.nr M of the IffMiaitMRll of Mr, Arthur *a Olr^eWr *f th« of.rice t f Till tf m i l mai * 1 •§ it i'<wit iM >m your l«tt«y u> of tha So&r<if& staff #io w i l l , I ^ra sure-, five Mr. Paul tb.*dr f a l l i O t p t f t t f whecj^Ysr opportunity offers, truly your*, Ch&lroian
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