Your 1314. [1] Everything possible has been done to press forward
the Trade Agreement negotiations in accordance with the decision
conveyed by your 1190 of 30th September [2], but Hull's personal
decision on the question [of] what United States should do in the
light of United Kingdom's attitude is indispensable to the
officers of the State Department before they will commit
themselves irrevocably on the matter, and his preoccupation with
Russian negotiations and his journey to Russia have made it
impossible for either them or us to secure his personal attention.

Stettinius, with whom I have been in communication and who is to
consult Hawkins again before I next see him on Tuesday, will not
act independently of Hull and though we had already, and have
again, suggested telegraphic communication to Hull, they have not
been prepared to do this both because of the importance of Hull's
work in Russia and because their judgment is that it could at best
produce only a reply deferring the matter until his return and
might produce a flat negative on the question whether America
should continue its negotiations with Australia alone.

It is not our attitude that is linked up with further agreement or
negotiations between United States of America and United Kingdom.

On the contrary it is one that we have been careful repeatedly to
contest but which nevertheless Hawkins has been and still is
inclined to adopt on the American side. In short it is America
that links negotiations between United States of America and
Australia with negotiations between United States of America and
United Kingdom. The reason, as explained in our 1012 of 9th
September [3], is that, in order to face the farm bloc with a
reduction in the duty on Australian wool and meat and on New
Zealand and Australian lamb and butter, Hull and Hawkins have all
along taken the position that they politically need to be in a
situation to provide for the farm bloc correlative benefits by the
reduction of duties on the importation into United Kingdom of
other American primary products such as raisins, rice and various
fruits.