500.A15 a 1/154: Telegram

The Ambassador in France ( Herrick ) to the Secretary of State

152. The Foreign Office sent me last evening the following note verbale dated April 2nd:

“By its memorandum March 14th, 1927,25 the American Embassy was good enough to inform the French Government of the decision taken by its Government as a result of the adherence of Great Britain and Japan to the proposals contained in the American memorandum of February 10, last, to engage in conversation with these powers.

On this occasion the American Government expresses the hope that the Government of the Republic ‘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 the negotiations and of the agreements which may be reached.’ It is good enough at the same time to show the paramount value that it would attach to the presence of French delegation.

The American Government specifies on the other hand that it has no preconceived idea as to the formula that it would be proper to consider in regard to a limitation of French naval tonnage and it points out that in the proposed conversations each power will have the privilege of adopting as basis of negotiation the attitude that it judges the best for the defense of its interests.

The French Government pointed out on February 15, in its reply to the first American note, the decisive reasons for which it could not participate in the Conference proposed by the American Government for a new limitation of naval armaments.

It cannot allow either the weakening of the authority of the League of Nations, already invested with the problem of disarmament, in which naval armaments cannot be separated from land and aerial [Page 32] armaments, or injury to the principle of the equality of the powers to which France remains firmly attached, or the exclusion from the discussion of an essential problem of the states without whose collaboration no result can be obtained, or the abandonment of the technical principles on which alone, as the French delegates have had admitted during the preparatory discussions, it is possible to base a general limitation of armaments.

In spite of the assurances that the American Government is good enough to give [of the thought and care] which have inspired its initiative and as to the principles by which it intends to be guided, the Government of the Republic cannot see its way to modify its views towards the proposal which has been put before it. It persists in thinking that a positive participation of France in the proposed conference between the United States, Great Britain and Japan, cannot be considered.

Since the delivery of the American memorandum a new element, which imposes itself on us, has intervened: The Preparatory Commission of the Disarmament Conference has met at Geneva. From the beginning the French delegation has affirmed its thesis and presented a draft convention based on the principle of global disarmament. A large part of the Commission has shown itself favorable to it and the debates which have ensued permit of thinking that it will be largely taken into consideration in the conclusions of the Commission.

Ever since then the French Government is bound to great reserve as concerns the request of the American Government to be represented in other discussions whose promoters are inspired by entirely different principles. It is for us a question of honesty towards the League of Nations to do nothing which might allow, in the mind of the delegations which have favorably received our proposals, a doubt to arise as to the sincerity of our efforts.

The French Government, appreciative of the value that the American Government attaches to its being directly informed concerning the conversations engaged in between the three powers, preserves the greatest sympathy for the American efforts for disarmament and for peace. It would certainly have liked to be able to decide now as to the cordial invitation which has been sent it. It likes at least to think that the American Government will appreciate the reasons which make it a duty under the present circumstances to defer any decision as to the possible participation, even by a simple observer, in conversations on a limited subject touching on the question of disarmament.”

Herrick
  1. Telegram in two sections.
  2. See telegram No. 72, Mar. 12, 4 p.m., to the Ambassador in France, p. 28.