500.A15 a 1/372: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:18 p.m.]
61. In an endeavor to settle the cruiser problem, I requested Saburi to come over this morning to discuss with me just what steps we might take now in that direction.
Saburi informed me that the Japanese delegation were of the opinion that the building of 400,000 tons of cruisers by Great Britain and the United States would necessitate more naval construction by their Government than it wished to undertake; and that, sooner than agree to any such tonnage figures, the Japanese delegation would return to Japan without a treaty. He suggested, as he had in previous conversations, that the American and Japanese delegations have a conference with Bridgeman and urge upon him the absolute necessity of cutting down the British figures. The American views, I informed him, had already been given emphatically to the British delegation and I was of the opinion that the greatest effect would be obtained if Saito took the initiative and impressed upon the British the absolute necessity for a material revision downward in their figures. If such action were taken by Saito, I told him, he would have the strong support of the American delegation. Saburi said that he considered this a good policy to pursue, and it was agreed that the American and Japanese delegations should have a preliminary conference tomorrow (Viscount Ishii being absent from Geneva today) after which we will be prepared to make an appointment with Bridgeman to discuss the matter. In the hope that Bridgeman will be influenced by the newspaper comment regarding the desirability of lower cruiser figures, it seems best for us to permit a day or two to pass before interviewing Bridgeman. Saburi was assured by me that the American delegation would welcome the Japanese delegation’s demand that the British revise their cruiser figures downward and that we would use all our influence to support them.