500.A12/42a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick)
94. On February 19 I requested the French Ambassador to see me at the Department. I said that he had doubtless noticed in the public press considerable discussion growing out of Chamberlain’s statement in the House of Commons, in answer to a question, that there had been conversations with the American Ambassador on the calling of a new arms conference by the United States. Chamberlain had declined to enter upon discussion of the subject, stating that the conversations were wholly informal.
I said that the press was making a great deal out of incidents that had very slight significance. I wished the French Government to know what had taken place as I would not care to have it supposed that negotiations were going on without suitable information to French Foreign Office. What had happened was that in a recent interview between Ambassador Kellogg and Chamberlain, preparatory to the former’s departure from London, Chamberlain himself had brought up the subject of another conference at Washington, suggesting that an invitation extended by President Coolidge might have favorable reception on the part of the powers, and had indicated a favorable attitude on the part of the British Government. Chamberlain had recognized unlikelihood that anything could be done at such a conference in relation to land armaments but had thought that progress might be made with respect to further naval limitation. I said that on receiving advice of this intimation I had instructed our Ambassador to inquire of Chamberlain whether he had any definite basis for supposing that other Governments might favorably receive such an invitation. It then appeared that upon this point there was nothing definite.
I called attention to the fact that from time to time there had been recurrent conversations of an informal character between our representatives abroad and foreign offices as well as between ambassadors here and myself on possibility of another conference. The position of this Government remained what it had been, that is, it desired to go forward from the point which had been reached at the Washington Conference and to obtain a further agreement on limitation of auxiliary naval craft. I would not refer to the difficulties encountered at the Washington Conference. I should be greatly pleased to learn that there was a prospect for removal of these difficulties. This Government did not desire to call a conference, of course, unless there was a reasonable prospect of agreement. The French Government [Page 7] could be assured that if the Government of the United States took up the matter on its own initiative, it would bring it to the attention of all the other Governments, including France. Present discussion in the press had grown simply out of this informal statement made by Chamberlain; and the United States was not advised as yet of any change in situation which would warrant calling of another conference. I added that by this I did not mean to say that I would not welcome a suggestion from the French Government that it would look favorably upon an invitation and was ready to proceed with an agreement for limitation of auxiliary craft. The Ambassador said that he was glad to have my statement, but made no further comment.
Foregoing is for your information and informal use, should you have occasion to discuss the subject with French officials.
[Here follows substance of telegrams No. 74, February 14, 2 p.m., to the Ambassador in Great Britain, and No. 71, February 17, 11 a.m., from the Ambassador in Great Britain, printed on pages 4 and 5, respectively.]