711.4112Anti-War/48: Telegram
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Houghton) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 9—8:40 a.m.]
101. Last evening after the Court, Chamberlain took me aside to say that he was preparing a note which he would base substantially upon the German formula, the last paragraph being entirely recast.
Chamberlain said that he was highly gratified to be advised by Howard that you do not wholly exclude a conference of jurists. My assumption had been to the contrary. I have therefore emphasized in my conversations that the question at issue was not juridical but political and was wholly for each Government to decide for itself and that all thought of the jurists’ conference had been abandoned. If Howard’s statement is correct, however, and you wish to leave door still open for conference, please advise me. Concerted action of some sort will doubtless be necessary before the treaty is ready for signature, but I had thought that this work could properly and naturally be done by the Ambassadors in Washington, informally and wholly under your direction. I know that the French Ambassador here had some such notion in mind, and I think that Chamberlain had also.
I am to see Beneš today at noon.