National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) - a US-based business lobby group for free trade and multinational corporations.
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History of the NFTC
The NFTC was established in 1914 by a resolution of the first National Foreign Trade Convention, calling for the creation of a permanent national organization "to coordinate the foreign trade activities of the nation". The first chairman of the organization was James A. Farrell, then president of U.S. Steel. A number of prominent U.S. businessman have been appointed to the board of the NFTC throughout its history, including Gerard Swope, Fred I. Kent, Robert Dollar, Michael H. Jordan and Robert M. Norris.
Current Staff
The current Chairman of the NFTC is Dinesh Paliwal[1], of Harman International Industries, and the current President is William A. Reinsch, former Under-Secretary for Export Administration in the Clinton Administration.
Activities of the NFTC
The NFTC has been a prominent advocate for free trade throughout its history, and has opposed a number of protectionist policies and laws. Under the cloak of "free trade," the NFTC has firmly supported foreign regimes that sponsor terrorism and genocide, including Sudan. This has caused the organization to take positions against proposed trade boycotts and embargos, including the Massachusetts-Burma law enacted in 1996 as a response to the dictatorship in Burma and the Cuban trade embargo. The NFTC has also supported the liberalization of immigration law and the exemption of profits earned abroad from taxation in the United States.
Subsidiary and Affiliated Organizations of the NFTC
Hispanic Alliance for Free Trade USA*ENGAGE U.S.-South Africa Business Council
See also
World Trade Organization International Trade Administration Doha Round
External links
- National Foreign Trade Council - web site.
- Supreme Court Ruling on Massachusetts-Burma law
- National Foreign Trade Council lobbying in Doha - investmentwatch.org
