STATUS OF THE POLISH TRADE DISCUSSIONS AS OF 13 MAY 1957

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61S00527A000200040021-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: May 14, 1957
• Content Type: MF

Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61 S00527A000200040021-9
14May1957
MMMM 1 ! M Deputy Director/Inteliigenae
SLMOB T: Status of the Polish Trade Discussions as of 13 Mavy 1957
1. No plenary sessions of the US-Polish Trade meetings Have been hold
since 7 April. 1957. The working groups have, however, continued to meet and
the US delegation has made a tentative offer valued at $95 million which
includes 500,E tons of wheat. The offer is in two parts: a $30 million
Eport-I1rport Bank loan (bearing 4.5 percent interest and repayable after
a five year period of grace over the succeeding 20 years) and a $65 million
loan under PL 489 repajable in zloties but with the prowls ion that after a
five year grace period... Poland will, buy back the zloties not used with dollars
at the rate of $2 million per year. As the Department of State estimates the
US expenditt s in zloties at no more than, $200,000 per year, the repayment
will take approximately 25 years. Although the terms are still being worked
out (particularly the repayment) the Poles have apparently agreed in prin-
ciple to the US offer.
2. The Canadian government is reportedly unhappy with the US offer of
500,000 tons of wheat feeling that this cuts into their normal, wheat sales
to Poland particularly under :anent terms which Canad. cannot match.
Although the Poles have claimed that the US wheat is for stockpiling and
that normal Canadian purchases will not be affected., they have so far refused
to ccmit themselves to the pie of specified quantities of Canadian
wheat during the 1957-58 and 1958-59 marketing years.
3? In addition, the Poles on 7 May were reported. to have requested
500,000 additional tons of Canadian wheat for stodkpiiing an long-term
credit. The Canadian government does not believe that such long-term credit
can feasibly be offered.
I. Although the U is sympathetic to the Canadian problem, it is not
felt that the US can insist on a Canadian-Polish agreement on future wheat
sales as a condition for the tom-Polish agreement.
- 5. There is not likely to be another plenary session until the final
25X1A9a
ef, Trade Branch
Office of Redearch and Reports
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP61 S00527A000200040021-9