File No. 763.72116/563
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
The British Embassy present their compliments to the Department of State and have the honour to state that they are in receipt of a telegram from the Foreign Office to the effect that His Majesty’s Government have had under their consideration the reply drafted by the Versailles Council to the protest made by the Central Committee of the Red Cross against the use of poisonous gas. His Majesty’s Government approve generally of this reply but, as regards the last paragraph, are of opinion that it should be clearly stated that the guarantee asked for from the German Government must be of a new and substantial character.
His Majesty’s Government suggest, therefore, that a sentence to this effect should be added to the last paragraph of the draft reply and the British Embassy are instructed to express the hope that, in the event of the United States Government agreeing with this view, they will be so good as to send instructions to their representative at Berne with a view to his concerting with his Allied colleagues in inserting such a sentence and in presenting the final reply to the Red Cross.
[Received April 25.]