Egypt Seeks American Cooperation on Cotton Production
18 September 1931 to 25 September 1931
Egyptian officials feared that restricting cotton cultivation for only one year might encourage speculation and pressure for a quick reversal. They sought coordinated reductions lasting several years. [1]
Falling cotton prices led Egypt to propose an international conference on production in 1931. In August, American minister William Jardine reported mounting pressure from forced land sales and farmers unable to meet their payments. Egypt wanted the principal producing countries to coordinate reductions over several years, and considered American participation essential. [1] [2]
Egyptian minister Sésostris Sidarouss carried the proposal through Washington. On 18 September, Secretary of State Henry Stimson replied that the United States could not undertake the proposed controls on production and exports. He offered a narrower opening: Egypt and the Federal Farm Board could discuss how to handle the cotton stocks their governments already held. [3]
Sidarouss accepted bilateral discussions on 22 September while preserving Egypt's interest in wider questions of cultivation and trade. He proposed sending two delegates to Washington. Stimson's reply three days later kept the invitation open but excluded limits on privately owned cotton. The discussions took place in Washington in 1933. [4] [5]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- Jardine reports Egypt's cotton-production proposal
Document 178, telegram 92, opening paragraphs and proposed production controls
FRUS 1931, II, document 178, August 25, 1931, pp. 160–161: American crop estimate, price collapse, mortgages and multiyear controls
- Jardine discusses a cotton conference with Egypt's prime minister
Document 179, telegram 93, paragraphs 1-6
- Stimson replies to Sidarouss on the cotton conference
Document 181, complete note
Dates at the close of the two notes
- Sidarouss accepts proposed cotton discussions
Document 182, note 6538, paragraphs 2-9 and signature
Heading, paragraphs 2-9, signature, and Washington dateline
- Stimson defines the Farm Board's negotiating limits
Document 183, complete note and editorial footnote confirming 1933 talks
Dates at the close of the two notes
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Cite This Article
Egypt Seeks American Cooperation on Cotton Production. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record c8e2b19a9f3011453e8f. https://chanceries.org/research/history/egypt-cotton-conference-1931/