867.113/30
The British Chargé (Chilton) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honour to inform you, under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that since peace between Turkey and Greece was concluded by the signature of the Treaty of Lausanne, His Majesty’s Government have been in receipt of applications for licences to export to Turkey arms and war material generally, and for support in obtaining concessions from [Page 740] the Turkish Government for the erection in Turkey of plant for the manufacture of munitions.
As you are aware, the whole of Turkey, except European Turkey, lies within the prohibited zone as defined in Article 6 of the Arms Traffic Convention of September 10th, 1919.38 It was so included because it was generally agreed that if Turkey could become an arms exporting state, such arms would inevitably reach areas from which the Arms Traffic Convention was specially designed to exclude them. Though the Convention has not been ratified, it is, as you are aware, in force, so far as the prohibited zone is concerned, by informal agreement between His Majesty’s Government and the Governments of France, Italy, Belgium and Japan, all of which are interested in areas where the importation of arms would be bound to prove a source of uneasiness. I am therefore to inform you that it is the present policy of His Majesty’s Government to refuse applications for the export of arms to the region of the former Ottoman Empire.
His Majesty’s Government are of opinion that the co-operation of the French, Italian, Japanese and Belgian Governments in loyally observing by an informal agreement the spirit of the Arms Traffic Convention in so far as it affects Turkey, would lead to no useful result should the Government of the United States feel themselves free to export arms to Turkey or to encourage United States citizens to seek for concessions for their manufacture in that country.
It will be remembered that in May, 1922, when the Government of British Honduras wished to dispose of certain arms to one or other of the Central American Governments, permission to do so was withheld out of deference to the wishes of the United States Government, and in the note which you were so good as to address to Sir Auckland Geddes on June 22nd, 1922,39 you informed His Excellency that it was the view of the Government of the United States that the sale of arms to a country where political conditions were known to be unstable, might create embarrassment to foreign governments whose nationals have property interests in the countries concerned and might indeed prove a factor in making the political situation still more unstable. It is the policy, therefore, of His Majesty’s Government to refuse licences for the export of military arms to the Central American Republics.
I am instructed to point out that the situation at present existing in Turkey and the adjacent countries is, in many respects, similar to that in Central America, and the arms traffic in such areas is, in the opinion of His Majesty’s Government, no less immoral and destructive of life than the opium traffic elsewhere. His Majesty’s Government, therefore, feel justified in hoping that the United States Government [Page 741] will do what may be in their power to prevent arms reaching or being manufactured in Turkey through the action of United States citizens, both on grounds of reciprocity, and in pursuance of their declared policy, as set forth in the statement issued to the press by the Department of State on September 27th last,40 in making public the text of a communication to the League of Nations41 with regard to the Arms Traffic Convention, not to allow arms to be exported to areas where disturbed conditions exist.
I should be glad to receive in due course an expression of the views of the United States Government in regard to this matter for communication to His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
I have [etc.]
- Foreign Relations, 1920, vol. i, p. 180.↩
- Not printed.↩
- See telegram no. 61, Sept. 27, 1923, to the Minister in Switzerland, Foreign Relations, 1923, vol. i, p. 42.↩
- See telegram no. 53, Sept. 12, 1923, to the Minister in Switzerland, ibid., p. 38.↩