COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM FROM THE UNITED STATES DELEGATION CONCERNING THE REDEFINITION OF ITEM 1635(B)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00647A000100120015-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: June 25, 1959
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release : CIA-RDP62-00647AW0100120015-3
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COCOM Doc. 34.16.35/14-
Date: June 25, 1959
COORDINATING COMMITTEE
MORASTDUM FROM THE UNITED STATES DELEGATION
CONCERNING
THE REDEFINITION OF ITEM 1635(b)
References: COCOM Documents 3416.00/1, 3416.35/1 through 13
1. The United States has carefully examined. the redefinition proposals
for item 1635(b) and the Committee discussions thereon and concludes there
is general agreement that stabilized stools of primary military use should
be embargoed. The major problems needing resolution appearto be the es-
tablishment of a cut-off for the total of alloying elements so as to free
stools of primary civilian use, and a method of computing the alloying
elements. It is obvious that some steels caught by the present definition
are primarily civilian (e.g. AISI type 309 S-CB-TA); however, the United
States has come to the conclusion that there is no cut-off which will both
free all primarily civilian stools and embargo all stools of primary
military use, since end-use is not determined by the total of alloying
elements.
2. The United States considered the possibility of a definition
specifically listing steels to be embargoed but fools that such a definition
would be subject to evasion through orders of non-standard special alloys.
Furthermore, a definition of this sort might cause difficulty for member-
countries with no significant military programs in determining the probable
use of the standard stools they produce,
3. Because of the difficulties outlined above, the United States
suggests that a fruitful approach would be to establish a cut-off which
would embargo all stabilized stools of primary military use but would
specifically except from embargo standard stabilized stools of primary
civilian use. The United States therefore proposes the following definition:
Nickel-bearing steels, n,e.s., containing a total of 300
or more of alloying elements, except such stools containing loss
than 0.4% of niobium or tantalum or combination thereof or 0.5%
titanium and except the following, or equivalent thereof: AISI
types 309 S-CB--TA; INCO 425; CROLOY 15-15N; and ENE;.
Note: In computing the total of alloying elements maximum
percentages for those elements shall be used. The 30% cut-off
must not be exceeded to take account of manufacturing or other
tolerances. The presence of carbon, phosphorous and sulphur can
be ignored. Silicon and manganese can also be ignored where
these are impurities,
4. Should other r_iember?-countries wish to propose the addition of other
stools to those that would be excluded by the definition proposed above,
the United States trusts that additional exclusions would be suggested only
for steels which, considering the nature of the Soviet military program,
can reasonably be expected to have predominant civilian use in the Soviet
Bloc.
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CONFIDENTIAL COCOM Doc. 3416.35/14
5. It will be noted that the definition proposed in paragraph 3
is essentially the same as the definition now in effect, with the
following modifications:
(a) Carbon, phosphorous and sulphur are excluded from the
count of alloying elements;
(b) Silicon and manganese are also excluded except when they
are added for alloying effect;
(c) The titanium cut-off is raised to 0.5io;
(d) The total alloying element count has boon dropped slightly,
from 32% to 30%, in order to assure that, while steels of
primarily civilian application are freed, stools used
primarily for military purposes are embargoed.
It will be noted particularly that under this United States approach, stool
of AISI type 309 S-CB-TA, which, despite its civilian nature, is embargoed
under the present definition and would continue to be embargoed under the
United Kingdom proposal, would be excluded from the embargo definition.
6. The United States believos that the definition proposed above is
a realistic method of embargoing nickel-bearing steels of primary military
use in the Sino-Soviot Bloc, The United States authorities are prepared
to provide a technical export to assist in establishing an exclusion list
agreeable to all members, if the Committee so desires.
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release : CIA-RDP62-00647A000100120015-3