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Records pertain to the Middle East Peace Process.
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FO004-02 Case Number 193878 Scanned
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FO004-02 Case Number 193878 Scanned
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Records pertain to the Middle East Peace Process.
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ID# 193878
THE WHITE'HOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE TRACKING WORKSHET
INCOMING
DATE RECEIVED: NOVEMBER 27, 1990
NAME OF CORRESPONDENT: THE HONORABLE LELAND A. IMIG
SUBJECT: URGES PRESIDENT TO AUTHORIZE CREDIT FOR BOTH
THE USSR AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO
ALLOW THEM TO PURCHASE GRAIN
ACTION
DISPOSITION
ROUTE TO:
ACT
DATE
TYPE C COMPLETED
OFFICE/AGENCY
(STAFF NAME)
CODE YY/MM/DD RESP D YY/MM/DD
LANNY GRIFFITH
ORG 90/11/27
LG A90/12/3 11 30%
REFERRAL NOTE:
/ /
/ /
REFERRAL NOTE:
/ /
/ /
REFERRAL NOTE:
/ /
/ /
REFERRAL NOTE:
/ /
/ /
REFERRAL NOTE:
COMMENTS: PRESIDENT, U.S. GRAIN SORGHUM FEDERATION
GRAIN SOGHUM BOARD MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED BY
GOVERNOR
ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENTS:
MEDIA:L INDIVIDUAL CODES: 2130
IG MAIL
USER CODES: (A)
(B)
(C)
ACTION CODES:
*DISPOSITION
*OUTGOING
*
*
*
*CORRESPONDENCE:
*
*A-APPROPRIATE ACTION
*A-ANSWERED
*TYPE RESP=INITIALS
*
*C-COMMENT/RECOM
*B-NON-SPEC-REFERRAL
*
OF SIGNER
*
*D-DRAFT RESPONSE
*C-COMPLETED
*
CODE = A
*
*F-FURNISH FACT SHEET
*S-SUSPENDED
*COMPLETED = DATE OF
*
*I-INFO COPY/NO ACT NEC*
*
OUTGOING
*
*R-DIRECT REPLY W/COPY *
*
*
*S-FOR-SIGNATURE
*
*
*
*X-INTERIM REPLY
*
*
*
REFER QUESTIONS AND ROUTING UPDATES TO CENTRAL REFERENCE
(ROOM 75,0EOB) EXT-2590
KEEP THIS WORKSHEET ATTACHED TO THE ORIGINAL INCOMING
LETTER AT ALL TIMES AND SEND COMPLETED RECORD TO RECORDS
MANAGEMENT.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
November 30, 1990
Dear Mr. Imig:
On behalf of the President, I want to thank you for your
recent correspondence regarding the extension by the United
States Government of credits and loan guarantees to the Soviet
Union in order to promote U.S. grain sales. We are extremely
sensitive to the difficulties faced by our agricultural sector in
trying to serve the Soviet market.
The Administration is working actively to lay the foundation
for the expansion of trade relations with the Soviet Union. The
President signed a trade agreement at the Washington Summit that,
if approved by Congress, would lead to the extension of MFN
treatment to the Soviet Union. The agreement also contains
provisions designed to facilitate the efforts of U.S. individuals
and enterprises to conduct trade with the USSR. The President
has said that he will waive the Jackson-Vanik restriction and
submit the trade agreement for approval by Congress after Soviet
passage of their emigration bill. We have been assured by Soviet
officials that they expect the emigration reform bill to be
passed this year.
A credit guarantee program for the USSR cannot be
established at this time because the Jackson-Vanik amendment
prohibits the extension of credits or credit guarantees to any
non-market economy that restricts or denies emigration. Once the
President issues a Jackson-Vanik waiver and the trade agreement
is approved by Congress, we will work with the Congress to remove
any remaining legal impediments to the extension of official
credits and guarantees to the Soviet Union.
I appreciate your bringing your views on this matter to the
attention of the Administration. Please let me know if we can be
of further assistance in any way.
Lanny Sincerely, Giffitt
Lanny Griffith
Special Assistant to the President for
Intergovernmental Affairs
The Honorable Leland Imig
Nebraska Grain Sorghum Development,
Utilization and Marketing Board
Box 94982
Lincoln, NE 68509
appter
193878
Nebraska Grain Sorghum Development, Utilization and Marketing Board
301 Centennial Mall South, Fourth Floor
Box 94982, Lincoln, Nebr. 68509, Ph. (402) 471-4276
L.Gmffilm
November 21, 1990
Honorable George Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Bush:
I am writing to urge you to offer grain-purchasing credit to the USSR
and the Eastern European countries. This letter not only expresses my
personal concern that this credit be made available, but also the
collective concern of the 90,000 grain sorghum producers in the states
of Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.
As you are aware, the Soviet Union has been the largest customer of
U.S. feed grains for a number of years. In recent years, their
purchases have been for cash. However, due primarily to their ongoing
economic and political turmoil, they are unable to purchase grain with
hard currency at this time. To have them continue as a high-volume
customer, both now and in the future, the extension of U.S. credit is
vital.
I understand that in the entire experience of all such agricultural
credit use, no country has ever defaulted. Thus, the financial risk
to American taxpayers is minimal. Current large American supplies of
feed grains are keeping our prices depressed. Some large-volume sales
would be greatly beneficial to American grain producers by reducing
supplies and thereby causing our own market to rise. A further
benefit to American taxpayers resulting from higher local prices would
be the diminution of cost of U.S. farm program payments to feed grain
producers.
Two days ago, I returned from a visit to the Soviet Union, traveling
with a contingent of feed grain producers sponsored by the U.S. Feed
Grains Council. We visited livestock feeding operations, feed mills,
grain farms and government agencies in Hungary, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, Byelorussia and the
Russian Republic. Without exception, the people we talked with said
that their supplies of feed grains are critically short; possibly not
sufficient to last beyond the end of the year. Therefore, they need
to begin import proceedings immediately. We heard that the port of
Leningrad is gearing up to receive 200 million bushels of feed grain
between now and July of 1991. Will any of it be U.S. grain?
(continued)
Page 2
To:
President Bush
From: Leland Imig
The USSR has received purchase credit offers from France, Canada, Germany and
Japan. Japan has even offered to supply feed grains, which (as you know) they
don't even produce. They are obviously positioning themselves to be in a
profitable middle-man arrangement between U.S. grain producers and Soviet
buyers. Such arrangements are clearly counter to the interests of the United
States and to our grain producers. We heard that Soviet grain buyers prefer the
same relationship that U.S. producers prefer -- to continue a long-term, stable,
high-volume grain trade. If we do not continue this relationship, we will do
ourselves a drastic disservice by handing an established market to our
competitors.
Mr. President, I urge you to take your pen from your pocket and authorize credit
for both the USSR and Eastern European countries. Doing so is clearly in the
interests of all American taxpayers. Neglecting to do so is not an acceptable
option.
Very truly yours,
L.a. Imig
Leland A. Imig
Member, Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board
President, U.S. Grain Sorghum Federation
LI/jis
XC: Nebraska Congressional Delegation
Stan Barrett, U.S. Feed Grains Council
Clayton Yeutter, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Jack Eberspacher, Executive Director, U.S. Grain Sorghum Federation
Members of the House Agriculture Committee
Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee
Galen Swenson, Director, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission