Nonsense. Preferential trade is a protectionist idea...what these arrangements were objecting to was Americans "trading with the enemy" - e.g., there was too much free trade.
Try again.
Ivan
Geez, make up your mind. Not enough free trade; too much free trade; maybe not the right kind of free trade.
Why don't any of you free traitors get honest about your intent. You don't really want to remove government interference from trade -- you simply want the government interference to provide you and yours special advantages.