(a) The investigation by the Assistant Secretary or by such official or agency as he may designate, shall be such as to enable the Secretary to arrive at a fully informed opinion as to the effect on the national security of imports of the article in question.

(b) If the Assistant Secretary determines that it is appropriate to hold public hearings or otherwise afford interested parties an opportunity to present information and advice relevant to an investigation, he shall issue a public notice which shall be published in the Federal Register. Such notice shall include a statement of the time, place and nature of any public hearing or shall solicit from any interested party written comments, opinions, or data relative to the investigation, to be submitted to the Assistant Secretary within the time period specified in the notice. Rebuttal to material so submitted may be filed with the Assistant Secretary within such time as is specified in the public notice. All data, comments and opinions shall be submitted with 25 copies.

(c) All applications filed and all comments, opinions, and data submitted pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, except information determined to be confidential as provided in § 9.6, will be available for inspection and copying at the Office of the Assistant Secretary (Enforcement, Operations, and Tariff Affairs), Department of the Treasury, in Washington, DC. The Assistant Secretary will maintain a roster of persons who have submitted materials.

(d) The Assistant Secretary or his designee may also request further data from other sources through the use of questionnaires, correspondence, or other means.

(e) The Assistant Secretary or his delegate shall, in the course of the investigation, seek information or advice from, and consult with, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Commerce, or their delegates, and any other appropriate officer of the United States as the Assistant Secretary shall determine.

(f) In addition, the Assistant Secretary, or his designee, may, when he deems it appropriate, hold public hearings to elicit further information. If a hearing is held:

(1) The time and place thereof will be published in the Federal Register.

(2) It will be conducted by the Assistant Secretary or his designee, and the full record will be considered by the Secretary in arriving at his determination.

(3) Interested parties may appear, either in person or by representation, and produce oral or written evidence relevant and material to the subject matter of the investigation.

(4) After a witness has testified the Assistant Secretary or his designee may question the witness. Questions submitted to the Assistant Secretary or his designee in writing by any interested party may, at the discretion of the Assistant Secretary or his designee, be posed to the witness for reply for the purpose of assisting the Assistant Secretary in obtaining the material facts with respect to the subject matter of the investigation.

(5) The hearing will be stenographically reported. The Assistant Secretary will not cause transcripts of the record of the hearing to be distributed to the interested parties, but a transcript may be inspected at the Office of the Assistant Secretary (Enforcement, Operations, and Tariff Affairs), Department of the Treasury, in Washington, DC, or purchased from the reporter.