500.A15a3/75: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Dawes)
186. With reference to your No. 201, July 22, 6 p.m. MacDonald’s statement appears to us wise and exactly right in feeling and tone. We feel that its generous attitude for us is admirably adapted to gain the American public’s, approbation. Two cautionary suggestions, however, for his consideration and for his decision may be submitted:
- First. The position as we see it and as we explained in our telegram No. 182, July 21, is that if parity in cruisers is to be arrived at without necessitating the completion of the whole cruiser program of the United States, Great Britain must not only check her present program of construction but must also decide practically to give up until 1936 all further building of cruisers. MacDonald will know best in what manner to prepare the British public for such a decision; [Page 156] however, unless the Prime Minister is able to reach such a determination as far as he himself is concerned and unless British policy is to follow these lines, we are afraid that all the significant progress thus far achieved may be of very little avail.
- Second. In our view it is difficult to see how MacDonald could visit this country before October considering his various engagements explained in his letters, if he is to have any time for consultation in this country and to receive the welcome which our people will want to give him and without which the complete purpose of his visit would not be realized. It is our earnest desire that the visit take place but a public promise of such a visit on his part would simply result in the newspapers making life a burden for him until he actually carries out the visit. Would it not be possible until the dates are fixed for him to make the matter a little more vague or, on the other hand, for him definitely to fix the month of his visit?
On receipt of the news of the Prime Minister’s statement to Parliament, the President will issue a statement approving what MacDonald has said and giving voice to our pleasure at the progress made and the new departure begun. He will also state that our future naval plans will await consultation and that, specifically, there will be a slowing down in the preparations for laying the keels of the three new cruisers which, according to our program, are to be built at the navy yards.