Jim Leonard, retired recently after more than 4 years, as deputy assistant secretary for textiles and apparel in the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce, U.S.A.

During his term as deputy assistant secretary, Leonard was at the center of some of the department’s often controversial, but far-reaching policies, including overseeing the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and the 25 free trade agreements (FTAs) the Bush administration has negotiated. Probably the most significant effort was the development of procedures that led to the imposition of safeguard quotas on Chinese textile and apparel imports.

In connection with the FTAs, CITA and the U.S. Trade Representative have continued a yarn-forward provision first established in connection with NAFTA. That principle requires products benefiting from duty-fee, quota-free treatment be made in the participating countries. In some cases, there are provisions permitting a specified amount of goods to contain inputs from non-participating countries, something that was supported by importers but strongly opposed by textile manufacturers.

Leonard was chairman of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA), the interagency group that develops procedures and carries out textile and apparel trade policies.