500.A15a3/217a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Italy (Garrett)
62. Within a few days the British Government will issue invitations to the Five-Power Conference, and in conversations with the several Ambassadors of the interested powers, including the Italian, I have explained quite confidentially that to date Great Britain had not been willing to go below 339,000 tons displacement tonnage apportioned between fifteen 8-inch gun cruisers and thirty-five 6-inch gun cruisers. If the British Government finds itself unable to go below this figure, the American General Board has advised that this Government could not go below twenty-one 8-inch gun cruisers; ten Omaha class cruisers (7,100 tons each); and five new 6-inch gun cruisers which would probably approximate about 5,000 tons each. Considering the strong desire for reduction of naval armaments I have stated that the Government of the United States would regret very much not to be able to reduce that figure further. In talking with me, the Japanese Ambassador expressed his country’s strong hope that it would be possible to go considerably lower than figures so far reached would indicate. Likewise, I have informed him that with respect to destroyers and submarines this Government could go to as low a figure as British Government cared to go; and that with respect to submarines both Governments would be glad to abolish submarines altogether, as they had pointed out at the Washington Conference.
[Page 261]Italian Ambassador has visited the Department several times and has been kept informed regarding the situation, apparently to entire satisfaction of his Government, which also received, naturally, reports from Italian Embassy in London.