711.5112France/249: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France ( Herrick )
102. In response to the inquiry submitted to M. Briand through Claudel and quoted in my 97 April 5, 1 p.m. to you,26 Claudel came in Saturday27 and reported the receipt of a message from M. Briand which he said he construed as a definite acceptance of our proposal as to procedure, namely, the immediate submission of the entire correspondence to the other Powers for their consideration and comment. I thereupon prepared the note of submission which has been telegraphed to you. On Monday, Claudel having in the meantime left Washington for the south, Count de Sartiges delivered a textual copy of M. Briand’s message28 of which Claudel had only a rough draft when he called on Saturday. The final and complete text of M. Briand’s message as presented by De Sartiges leaves me frankly [Page 25] in some doubt as to M. Briand’s precise meaning because the message opens with a flat acceptance of the idea of submitting to the other Powers the entire correspondence but in a subsequent paragraph speaks of reservations, referring in that connection again to M. Briand’s note of March 30. I fully appreciate that M. Briand feels obliged to proceed in this important matter with quite understandable caution and am assuming that the reiteration of his position in that part of his last message subsequent to the first paragraph was intended only to guard against any possible misunderstanding of his general attitude and not at all as an objection on his part to the submission of the whole matter to the other Powers in the manner which I proposed.
In these circumstances it is my intention, already publicly expressed after the conversation with Claudel on Saturday, and also explained to De Sartiges yesterday, to transmit to the four other Powers for consideration and comment the correspondence, together with the general form of treaty which has been the subject of the correspondence. I consider that such action is taken on the following definite understanding so far as France is concerned:
- (a)
- That the United States is so proceeding upon its own responsibility;
- (b)
- That no commitment on the part of France is in any way involved;
- (c)
- That any further observations that France may deem necessary or appropriate either at this time or later will of course be addressed by France to the other interested Powers as well as to the United States so that the entire situation may be fully explored by us all.
I am most anxious not only to avoid any conceivable appearance of discourtesy but also to leave no room for the slightest misunderstanding between the United States and France, and therefore before giving final instructions for the delivery of my note of submission to the other Powers, I should like to have you at once see M. Briand personally and explain fully my views and intention as set forth in this telegram. It seems to me clearly that the procedure thus outlined absolutely protects M. Briand’s position throughout and that there can be no possible objection to it. Please report promptly the result of your conversation.
The text of M. Briand’s message referred to above will, of course, be available to him.
I am today conveying orally to De Sartiges the substance of this telegram to you.