767.68119/36
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Geddes)15
The Department of State has received the communication of His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador dated October 27, stating that the Governments of Great Britain, France and Italy are inviting the Governments of Japan, Roumania, Yugo-Slavia, Greece and Turkey to send representatives to Lausanne to conclude a treaty of peace [Page 898] to end the war in the East, and that they would welcome the presence of United States representatives at Lausanne in a capacity similar to that of the representative of the United States Government who was present at San Remo in 1920, or in a more active capacity.
Previous to the receipt of the British Ambassador’s communication, instructions had been sent to the American Ambassadors in London, Paris and Rome to communicate to the respective governments on October 30 an aide-memoire16 briefly outlining this Government’s attitude toward the proposed conference at Lausanne and indicating that American representatives would be present for the purposes stated in the aide-memoire if this were agreeable.
To supplement this Government’s communication of October 30 and in reply to the memorandum of October 27, the Secretary of State takes pleasure in advising His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador that the President will be pleased to designate as such representatives the American Ambassador to Italy and the American Minister to Switzerland. The High Commissioner at Constantinople will be associated with Ambassador Child and Minister Grew during such time as his present duties may permit.