500.A15Franco–British/9
The Secretary of State to the British Chargé (Chilton)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of July 31, 1928, in which you inform me of the result of the preliminary conversations which have proceeded between His Majesty’s Government and the French Government, with the aim of finding a basis for naval limitation.
I thank you for informing me concerning the agreements reached, which agreements you suggest should be adopted by the Preparatory Conference as a basis for limitation.
In the note above referred to there are certain points which I do not fully understand. These points are as follows:
1. One of the categories of war vessels is stated to be as follows: “(3) Surface vessels of or below ten thousand tons armed with guns of more than 6 inch and up to 8 inch calibre.”
I should be grateful if you would inform me whether this means that there is to be no limitation on any surface vessel armed with guns of 6 inch calibre or less. If this is the case, it appears that all destroyers might be built in unlimited numbers and that the same would be true of cruisers armed with 6 inch guns or less.
2. The fourth class is defined in your note as follows: “(4) Ocean going submarines over six hundred tons.”
I should be glad to know whether this means that all submarines of 600 tons or less may be built free of any limitation.
3. The note further provides: “As regards Class (3) and Class (4) the final Disarmament Conference will fix the maximum tonnage applicable to all powers which no power will be allowed to exceed for the total of vessels in each of these respective categories during the period covered by the Convention. Within this maximum limit, each power will indicate at the final Conference through each of these categories the tonnage they propose to reach and which they undertake not to exceed during the period covered by the Convention.
I do not understand what the above provision means. If there is no limitation on destroyers or cruisers armed with six inch guns or less, there would be but one class limited, and that is cruisers armed with guns of more than six inches and up to eight inches. If, however, there is to be a limitation on destroyers and cruisers armed with guns of six inches or less, I do not understand why each power should be expected to indicate the tonnage it desires to build in these categories since the provision does not say that each nation must indicate the tonnage of each class in the category, and apparently [Page 267] would be at liberty to build either cruisers or submarines to the full maximum tonnage. I should be very grateful if you would let me have the British Government’s explanation of this clause in connection with the other provisions of the memorandum.
Accept [etc.]