500.A15 a 1/377: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:10 p.m.]
64. The British and American delegates, at the invitation of Viscount Saito, met informally with the Japanese delegates at the Hotel Beau-Rivage, at which time the memorandum given below was circulated by the Japanese delegation. Viscount Ishii stated that the Japanese delegation desired to lay their views informally before the other two delegations as they had not given any intimation at the meeting of the technical committee regarding the total tonnages which Japan considered adequate. The views expressed by the Japanese at this informal meeting would be presented to the executive committee in a more formal way at a later period, he said. (For an outline of developments during the meeting of the technical committee, see my telegram No. 65, July 6.)
Following is text of Japanese memorandum:54
“It will be remembered that in the statement made by the Japanese delegation at the first plenary meeting emphasis was laid upon the existing status which they proposed should form the basis of any allocation of tonnages that might be decided upon at the present Conference.
According to the basis of calculation as submitted by the Japanese delegation the surface auxiliary strength of the British Empire would be 472,000 tons.
The tonnage allocation suggested by the American delegation in regard to surface auxiliary vessels is from 450,000 to 550,000 tons for the United States and British Empire, subject to the intimation that the United States would welcome any proposal for still lower tonnage levels.
Limitation being our main object it would seem to the Japanese delegation that the adoption in principle of the minimum figure proposed by the United States delegation as a basis of our discussion would be a course most conducive to a speedy consummation of the task before the Conference.
If consequently we may take the figure of 450,000 tons for the United States and British Empire as a basis, the Japanese delegation would propose for the tonnage to surface auxiliary vessels to be allotted to Japan a figure of somewhat above 300,000 tons; it being understood that they are quite prepared at the same time to accept reduced figures in concert with the other delegations.
In addition to this the Japanese delegation desire now to propose a figure of around 70,000 tons for Japan in respect of submarines.”
- Memorandum not paraphrased.↩