With Johnson's Proclamation, the U.S. had invoked its right under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), whereby an offended nation may increase tariffs by an equal amount to losses from discriminating tariffs.

A co-author of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, former Representative Charles A. Vanik, Democrat of Ohio, asked: "Why should Soviet products continue to face high and discriminatory duties in the American market, while almost all other U.S. trading partners enjoy M.F.N.?

The antislavery body also claimed effective access to government on the aspect of anti-slave trade policy which complemented suppression; after pressure over some years for the British government to reduce discriminatory duties on commercial products from West Africa originating with information by Roscoe, duties on cotton wool, ginger, coffee and palm oil were lessened.