867.0145/11: Telegram
The Special Mission at Lausanne to the Secretary of State
[Received December 19—1:30 a.m.]
122. Prior to today’s discussion of the new Allied draft concerning the Straits, which includes a plan for international control board, we presented to the president of the conference for the conference records, the following statement:45
“The representatives of the United States on behalf of their Government take the position that the full freedom of the Straits to all nations of the world without discrimination would be served best by reliance on treaty rights and agreements rather than upon a joint or international commission of the Straits. This view has been made known already to the delegations which have desired to know our attitude.”
This carries out our instructions and also confirms attitude which we have expressed in conversation with Curzon and others. Should the project for an international control board be adopted and we not desire to participate in it, we may well base our refusal on disagreement with the principle instead of upon a reluctance to share in international responsibility.
- Quoted statement not paraphrased.↩