500.A15 a 1/103d: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick)
72. Please deliver as soon as possible the following memorandum concerning the proposed conference for the limitation of naval armament to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the same time personally urging Department’s point of view:
“With reference to the Memorandum of the French Government of February 15, 1927, in reply to that of the American Government, of February 10, inquiring whether the French Government was disposed to empower its representatives at the forthcoming meeting at Geneva of the Preparatory Commission for the Disarmament Conference to enter into negotiations looking toward an agreement providing for limitation in the classes of naval vessels not covered by the Treaty of Washington of 1922, the Government of the United [Page 29] States has noted with pleasure that the French Government is animated by the same spirit that prompted the President of the United States upon the occasion of his Message to Congress, on the day on which the above-mentioned Memorandum of the American Government was handed to the Governments of the Powers signatory to the Washington Treaty.
With regard to the fear expressed by the French Government that such negotiations would risk compromising the success of the work of the Preparatory Commission at Geneva, the Government of the United States is of the opinion that all appropriate measures taken by the large naval Powers cannot but contribute towards facilitating the task of the Commission.
In the last paragraph of the Memorandum of the French Government the view is set forth that it is at Geneva and by the Preparatory Commission itself that the proposal of the American Government can be effectually examined. The Government of the United States desires to emphasize the fact that it proposed the initiation at Geneva of negotiations by representatives of certain powers at the forthcoming meeting of the Preparatory Commission, and is therefore of the opinion that far from undermining the authority of the League of Nations such conversations as those proposed would be of great service to that body in an advance towards the solution of a difficult problem.
The Governments of Great Britain and Japan have now acceded to the proposal of the American Government which has, therefore, decided to enter into conversations with these powers and sincerely hopes that the French Government will see its way clear to be represented in some manner in these conversations in order that it may be fully cognizant of the course of negotiations and of the agreements which may be reached.
As the French Government already knows, the American Government has no preconceived ideas regarding any definite ratio for the limitation of French tonnage. It does not desire to open up questions already settled by Treaty but wishes to point out that all other questions relative to limitation of naval armament are open and that in the projected conversations each power would have the privilege of taking any position it thought best for its own protection as a basis for negotiation.
The Government of the United States would be especially gratified by the presence of representatives of a nation holding the ideals set forth in the Memorandum of the French Government, a nation which has, in the past, been associated with the United States in efforts to further the cause of World Peace.”
Inform Department promptly when this memorandum is delivered as we wish then to hand copies of the Memorandum to the British and Japanese Ambassadors here.
Repeat text of Memorandum to London and American Mission at Geneva and mail cipher text to Rome.