ETRAI Director Irving S. Friedman Subject Files

34145

1948-1965, predominant 1952-1964

series

textual records

5.5 linear feet of textual records.

Series is open according to the Archives Access Policy. Files will be screened by reference staff for any time restrictions.

Series consists of the subject files of Irving S. Friedman, Director of the Exchange Restrictions Department (1952-1964), later renamed the Exchange and Trade Relations Department (ETR). There are a few files within this series which pre-date Friedman's term as Director. These were accumulated when Friedman worked in the Research Department and the Office of the Managing Director. These records also constitute material created during his term as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Exchange Restrictions Department (ERD), covering a variety of topics including commodity arbitrage, the European Payments Union, and restrictions in relations to rearmament. The bulk of the records, however, covers the period 1952 to 1964 and consists of external correspondence, handwritten notes and internal memoranda, cables and Interfund messages, lectures, speeches and papers which reflect the early work of the department., Of particular interest are issues related to the proposed reorganization of the work of the IMF and discussions among the staff of ERD and the Legal Department (LEG), the Board and Committee regarding the interpretation of Articles VIII and XIV. There is a fair amount of background material on the technical work required for the policy and procedural aspects of both Articles, including questions and country surveys on restrictions of current payments; material on the transitional arrangements on the policy attitude to be adopted by the IMF and the procedures to be applied to countries coming under Article VIII; the effects of the proposed revisions to General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); and other aspects of Fund policy which were affected by the new obligation. Additionally, the records contain information on the definition of exchange restrictions used in analyzing the nature of exchange restrictions in various countries; and the effect of exchange restrictions after convertibility., Other issues of note include Friedman's correspondence and communication with Roger V. Anderson regarding minutes of the Joint Trade and Intra-European Payments Committee, European Office, Paris; Friedman's notes on the relationship between the European Payments Union and the IMF; background material on a study conducted by ERD and the Research Department on international liquidity; and material on bilateralism which include agreements with member counties (Japan and Philippines, Paraguay, France, Western Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Uruguay, Finland, Belgium). With regards to bilateralism ERD staff, in conjunction with the other functional departments, met to devise techniques to be used by member countered when entering a bilateral agreement., Files within this series are arranged in alphabetical order and chronologically within each file.