500.A15a3/158: Telegram
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Dawes) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:14 p.m.]
263. This morning the Prime Minister arrived from Geneva and I transmitted to him your telegram of September 3, No. 237.
He summarized for me what he had learned at Geneva. Matsudaira had told him that the application of the Japanese ratio to the number of American large cruisers was desired by Japan. The point I telegraphed to you in my telegram of September 4, No. 262, was not mentioned to MacDonald by Matsudaira. I was then informed by the Prime Minister that the British Admiralty seemed willing that Japan should have twelve large cruisers in relation to Great Britain’s fifteen.
Briand50 had conversed with the Prime Minister and had been informed by him fully of the progress of the Anglo-American negotiations, and the difficulties had been frankly explained to him. Briand had been asked for his assistance; and later MacDonald asked [Page 220] Beneš,51 as well, to impress the necessity of French cooperation upon Briand. His conversation with Briand had been most helpful he felt.
The Anglo-American naval negotiations, he said, appeared to be uppermost in the minds of all those whom he had seen at Geneva; the results of disagreement would be as demoralizing as success would be beneficial, inasmuch as negotiations seem to be assuming such importance in the public interest in all powers. The determination to agree was again reiterated by MacDonald. In discussing his difficulties some reaction in the Dominions, particularly Australia and Canada, was mentioned. Australia possessed navy yards, he said, and it might object to a British unified naval command and propose construction in its own yards on its own account, if not satisfactory.
The Prime Minister stated in connection with Matsudaira that he had again told the Japanese Ambassador that he could consider as having come from him those statements which came from me.