Series 1A. International Trade, Law, Business, and Organizations, ca. 1983–2008

Includes records documenting the service and leadership of Curtis Handley (“Hank”) Barnette, former Chairman and C.E.O. of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, in matters of international trade, law, business, and organizations. Throughout his tenure at Bethlehem Steel, Barnette was affiliated with numerous organizations that have influenced business and trade policy. For example, he was Director and Chairman of the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI), and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). He served through appointments by the Presidents of the United States as a member of the United States Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), which provides the President with advice from the private sector.

Note: Where possible, the terminology originally used by Barnette and his staff to organize the contents of this record series—as well as the order of folders and items—has been preserved. Accordingly, most folders in this series are described by either 1. topic or 2. organization. In addition, material related to the topic or organization is frequently supplemented by other material; for such folders, descriptions of this supplemental material appear within parentheses in the contents list. Finally, folders containing primarily steel import data or reference materials such as trade publications and directories are described in the contents list as international trade material of a general nature.

To locate material of interest, it is recommended to search the contents list using the full name as well as any abbreviated names of the given topic or organization listed below. For example, to locate documents related to the World Trade Organization, use “World Trade Organization” and “WTO” as search terms.

Topics

Topics primarily represented include:
1. Trade policy (e.g., the Multilateral Steel Agreement (MSA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA))
2. Trade litigation (e.g., United States Department of Commerce and United States International Trade Commission (ITC) investigations into unfair trade practices of foreign countries)

Some notable trade agreements referenced in this series include:
1. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
2. World Trade Organization (WTO)
3. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
4. Multilateral Steel Agreement (MSA)
5. Voluntary Restraint Agreements (VRA)
6. Multilateral Specialty Steel Agreement (MSSA)
7. North American Steel Sector Agreement (NASSA)
8. U.S.-E.C. (European Community) Consensus Agreement
9. U.S.-China bilateral WTO agreement

Other topics, represented to a lesser extent, include issues generally relevant to the steel industry, such as labor, health-care reform, and environmental impact, as well as issues specific to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, such as the Corporation’s financial health, steel-production data, and administrative decisions.

Organizations

Organizations occurring most frequently within the contents list for this series include:
1. International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI)
2. American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
3. Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC)
4. United States Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN)
5. World Trade Organization (WTO)
6. United States International Trade Commission (ITC)
7. United States Department of Commerce

Other organizations occurring within the contents list for this series include, approximately in order of decreasing frequency:
1. House and Senate Steel Caucuses (Congressional Steel Caucus, Steel Caucus)
2. United Steelworkers of America (USWA)
3. Council of United States Producers (CUSP)
4. North American Steel Council (NASC)
5. The Steel Alliance
6. Senate Finance Committee
7. European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries (EUROFER)
8. Stand Up For Steel
9. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
10. The Business Roundtable
11. The Business Council
12. Economic Strategy Institute (ESI)
13. German-American Business Council
14. House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment

Types of Material Within Organization-Related Files in Series 1A

1. Correspondence with steel-industry executives and members of federal and state government (N.B. some of the letters are to or from President William Jefferson Clinton)
2. Briefing materials (e.g., trade publications, reports, data, articles on domestic and foreign industries)
3. Travel documents (e.g., itineraries; receipts; brochures; postcards; and articles on local history, culture, and attractions) associated with conferences held throughout the United States of America, Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as locations in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, and South Africa.

Conference locations in the United States of America include: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.

Conference locations in Europe include: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain.

Conference locations in Asia include: China, India, Japan, South Korea (cancelled due to September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks), Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the U.S.S.R.

Conference locations in South America include: Argentina and Brazil.

Other conference locations include: Melbourne, Australia; Hamilton, Bermuda; Toronto, Canada; and Cape Town, South Africa.

Other Types of Material Found Throughout Series 1A

1. Press releases and clippings
2. Handwritten notes
3. Transcripts of speeches, interviews and comments to press, and testimony (e.g., to the Senate Finance Committee and to the ITC)
4. Legislative documents (e.g., drafts of House and Senate Resolutions and international trade agreements)
5. Biographical material (e.g., application forms for appointment to the ACTPN, including a Delayed Certificate of Birth, résumé, statements of military record and security clearance, as well as miscellaneous other personal information such as assets and fingerprint records)
6. Award materials (e.g., certificates for the General Motors Supplier of the Year)
7. A few original photographs, some with negatives enclosed

Index to Series 1A

Note: Items of particular interest are referenced below according to the Box (B) and Folder (F) in which they are located. Some duplicate items (e.g., additional photocopies) are referenced within this Index.

Barnette interviews, comments to press: B1/F4; B7/F11; B9/F6; B9/F7; B13/F8; B16/F5

Barnette op-ed pieces, The Washington Times and The Baltimore Sun: B5/F5; B8/F10 (same as in B5/F5, but photocopied in different format, larger print); B13/F8

Barnette speeches: B1/F20; B2/F19; B4/F2; B10/F1; B10/F3; B10/F8; B11/F20; B12/F12; B12/F16; B13/F2; B13/F4; B13/F6; B13/F7; B17/F12

Barnette testimony: B3/F17; B4/F3; B4/F4; B4/F5; B4/F8; B5/F5; B8/F2; B8/F3; B8/F7; B8/F10; B8/F14; B9/F6; B9/F7; B9/F17; B9/F18; B9/F19; B10/F2; B10/F5; B10/F6; B10/F7; B13/F6; B13/F11; B13/F15

Clinton, President, letters to/from: B3/F11; B3/F16; B4/F3; B4/F6; B4/F7; B4/F10; B4/F12; B7/F13; B8/F22; B8/F26; B9/F11; B9/F12; B9/F15; B10/F10; B10/F16; B10/F17; B15/F5

Photographs, original: B11/F8 (with negatives); B11/F16; B11/F17 (with negative); B15/F12; B15/F14; B15/F15