Executive Order 11420—Establishing the Export Expansion Advisory Committee

WHEREAS foreign trade is an essential and continuing element in sustaining the growth, strength, and prosperity of our economy, contributes to the improvement of our balance of payments, and fosters the long-term commercial interest of the United States; and

WHEREAS, on March 20, 1968, I requested the Congress to empower the Export-Import Bank of the United States to use up to $500,000,000 of its loan, guarantee, and insurance authority to finance a broadened program to sell American goods in foreign markets; and

WHEREAS the Congress has authorized the Bank to extend loans, guarantees, and insurance which, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of the Bank, offer sufficient likelihood of repayment to justify the Bank's support in order to actively foster the foreign trade and long-term commercial interest of the United States; and

WHEREAS it is desirable and appropriate that guidance concerning the commercial interests and the balance of payments objectives of the United States be provided to the Board of Directors of the Bank in the use of such loan, guarantee, and insurance authority allocated to finance export expansion, and I have stated-that I would establish an Export Expansion Advisory Committee to provide-such guidance to the Board of Directors of the Bank:

Now, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows:

SECTION 1. Establishment of Advisory Committee.

(a) There is hereby established the Export Expansion Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee").

(b) The Committee shall be composed of the following members: the Secretary of Commerce, who shall be Chairman of the Committee, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of State, and the President and Chairman of the Board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

SEC. 2. Functions of the Committee. The Committee shall review and make recommendations concerning applications and proposals for loans, guarantees, and insurance to be charged against allocations made to finance export expansion and shall provide guidance to the Board of Directors of the Bank concerning the use of such allocations with the view to fostering the foreign trade and long-term commercial interest of the United States.

SEC. 3. Construction. Nothing in this order shall be construed to abrogate, modify, or restrict any function vested by law in, or assigned pursuant to law to, any Federal agency or any officer thereof or to any Federal interagency council or committee. As used herein the term "any Federal agency" includes any executive department and any other executive agency.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The White House

July 31, 1968