HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL DAVIS MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION called on the President by previous appointment today at :30. After some expressions of regret on his part of my forthcoming departure and a friendly strument as to who was the biggest loser, apologized for seeking an appointment on such ahort notice and on a day when knew he was very busy, but stated that had found it necessary in the interests of both governments because of the time element. said that as he knew, negotiations between our two goverment had been going on for some time for a meeting to draft a fishing treaty similar to the one recently entered into between the United States and Mexico. The particular question, as well as several other allied but distinctly separate questions, had been under discussion imultaneously. Until the previous evening thought that the Embassy had made the Department position clear and that that position had been accepted by the Costa Rican officials concerned.
However, last night received a note from the foreign Minister which in affect made it a condition precedent to the negotiation of a fishing agreement, that there he included in the agenda the desire of Costa Rica to obtain. exemption from customs duties on canned fish produced in Costa Rica. said that if such a condition were insisted upon there would be no use sending a dele.
ration to Washington to negotiate a fishing treaty as it was quite Impractical to consider the two questions at the same time.
The President replied that, as he had told me onea before, his main interest in the fisheries question is to establish a fish canning industry in this country in order that the by products may be available or fertiliser. However, to obtain these by products there must be a sure market for the canned fish and he has been advised that the only parket is the and that Costa Rica can only enter that market iſ granted tartrf concessions. replied that was aware of this problem and his interest but that it was one that must be discussed separately and distinctly from the proposed fishing treaty.