500.A15 a 1/474: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson)
62. Your No. 114, July 22, 1 p.m. My No. 55, July 19, 4 p.m., answering your No. 106, July 18, 11 p.m., was intended to allow latitude for slight variations which were reconxmended by naval experts at Conference and reported in your No. 106, and which were approved here. Naturally we have no interest in the word “ratio” and would be willing to have it interpreted into actual tonnages. I should like to have recommendation of your naval advisers on how much variation they would recommend. Political question which must finally be decided is how far we could vary from Washington treaty without endangering treaty itself. Any substantial variation from the Washington treaty, as you can readily see, would at once be seized upon for opposition; on the other hand a variation arising naturally from inclusion of a certain number of cruisers would not be serious.