574.D3/185
The French Ambassador (Daeschner) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary of State: In your note of July 17 last you were pleased to convey to me some observations which it appeared should be made by the American administration on the list of questions which I had the honor to set forth as constituting the program of the International Telegraph Conference to be held at Paris on September 1, 1925.
In reply, I have been instructed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to inform Your Excellency that the sole program of the Paris Conference is to consider additions and amendments which the telegraphic office desires to have made in the service regulations and rates in force. There is no question whatsoever of revising or amending the St. Petersburg Convention. The French propositions are confined strictly to that program which forms the subject of Circular No. 766 of the International Bureau of Berne. If certain offices have exceeded those limits, the French Government has no means to prevent them from offering their propositions. It could do no more than point out, while the conference is in session, the limits of the program as outlined and propose, if occasion should arise, that they be referred to the next Radiotelegraph Conference.
As to the Radiotelegraph Conference, the Government of the Republic doubts if it may be called with advantage before the year 1927. The Radiotelegraph Conference will have to examine the propositions to amend or revise the London Convention, not only [Page 297] those coming from the American Government but also those which all the adhering powers to the Union have the right to offer.
Each office must be allowed sufficient time to prepare these propositions in order that they may be assembled at the Berne office and submitted to all the offices.
Your Excellency will certainly admit that this procedure cannot but require much time.
Accept [etc.]
[For the proceedings of the Conference see, Documents de la Conference Télégraphique Internationale de Paris, 1925 (Berne, Bureau International de l’Union Télégraphique, 1925).]
- Supplied by the editor.↩