500.A16/51: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the American Representative on the Special Commission (Wilson)
1. Your No. 1, August 27, noon. In drawing up draft convention enclosed with Department’s instruction to you of August 9, the analogous provisions of arms traffic convention were followed wherever [Page 302] possible for two reasons: (1) To forestall inclusion and discussion of new classifications of material; (2) to simplify the execution of the two conventions.
Owing to circumstances which arose during the negotiations over the arms traffic convention there was no distinction made in providing for (he publication of import and export statistics. The Government of the United States requires these statistics in any event, and the feeling was, therefore, that the provision of the proposed convention imposed no new requirement on private manufacturers.
The Government of the United States does not wish, however, to require publicity for all airplanes and engines which are privately manufactured in this country in way which would become necessary were the provision in the convention now under negotiation to be extended as you suggest.
Department also feels that the inclusion of all aircraft would be step in direction of admitting that “potentials of war” should be open to restriction or to control. As you are aware, the Government of the United States is firmly opposed to any such admission as a basis for either regulation or limitation.
Department realizes that provision including all aircraft and engines in the arms traffic convention is inconsistent with title of this proposed convention which includes only arms, ammunition, and implements of war. For this reason the Department is all the more anxious that a similar inconsistency should not be embodied in the convention now under negotiation. It would seem quite as inconsistent with purpose of the convention as expressed in its title to include all aircraft and engines as it would if there were included under Category I, heading 11, all commercial and private automobiles along with armored tanks and cars.
Accordingly, the Department instructs you to maintain position that only aircraft and engines manufactured under military specifications should be listed in convention. If the other Governments are not prepared to accept the inclusion in the provision of all those manufactured under military specifications, you should take the position that only aircraft and engines manufactured for the armed forces of the respective countries should be included.
Department is fully aware of the difficulty of your position on this point, but it hopes that you will be able, nevertheless, to bring the other delegates to share our views on undesirability of attempting to include material which is not designed expressly for war purposes.