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The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The President's Export Council is writing this letter to voice its strong support for the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. We understand that the Convention was transmitted to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratify on May 1, 1998, and that the proposed implementing legislation was transmitted to the Congress on May 4, 1998. We urge your Administration to work together with key members of Congress to achieve ratification quickly and without controversy and to enact implementing legislation necessary to bring the Convention into full force and operation in U.S. law.

In October of 1996, the PEC submitted to you a letter describing the debilitating effects of corruption on U.S. international business transactions. We encouraged your Administration to take forceful and concrete action to curb its spread. The successful negotiation and conclusion of the OECD Convention shows that you shared our views and placed high priority on multilateral efforts to reduce international corruption and level the playing field for U.S. businesses in the global marketplace.

While extremely important, the conclusion of the Convention is only the first step towards realizing our shared goal. We must now work diligently towards ratification and passage of implementing legislation in our own country. We must do so quickly, decisively, and as a unified front to set the example for other OECD nations that similarly must ratify the Convention to ensure that it will enter into force for all participating nations.

As you are aware, OECD Ministers recommended that member states submit the Convention to national legislatures and seek enactment of implementing legislation by the end of 1998. We firmly believe that the U.S. must be a leader among signatory nations in the ratification and implementation process to ensure that all nations live up to their commitments under the Convention. Any controversy or delay in ratification or passage of implementing legislation will surely signal to other nations that the U.S. does not take the issue of international corruption seriously. It will encourage delay in ratification by other nations that may have been less enthusiastic about the Convention to begin with; and it will seriously undermine the myriad of other efforts that your Administration has undertaken to reduce this serious threat to global competitiveness of U. S. Industry.

For all these reasons, we urge your Administration to work closely with Congress to ensure a smooth ratification and implementation process. The U.S. business community recognizes that the Convention is a watershed event in the improvement of leveling the global playing field, and supports its ratification and implementation. The PEC stands ready to work with your Administration to ensure these goals are met. Please let us know how best we can help you achieve the very important goal of ensuring that the Convention is implemented and enters into force this year.

Very truly yours,
C. Michael Armstrong
Chairman

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