[Christian A. Herter, U.S. trade negotiator, discusses in this exclusive interview the prospect for battering down foreign tariffs.] Christian A. Herter, special U.S. trade negotiator, said today he does not feel that the significance of his new job was shattered by the recent French veto of Britain's entry into the Common Market. "In some respects the veto enhanced the importance of the trade expansion program." Herter said in an interview. "It certainly complicated the matter." Just how much the matter has been complicated may become clear in the next two months when international trade experts meet in Geneva. The Geneva talks may determine whether Herter, armed with the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, can help batter down foreign tariffs and launch booming, new U.S. trade in the 1960s. Some congressmen have introduced bills that would amend the Trade Expansion Act to get around the French veto. The amendments would allow Herter to negotiate for the complete elimination of tariffs when the United States, the Common Market, and Britain together account for 80 per cent of the world's trade...

related Stanley Meisler articles by topic: