500.C114/822: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland ( Wilson )
86. Your despatch No. 969, July 18, 1929. With reference to Drummond’s personal letter of July 12, 1929, to you, the feeling of the Department is that it does not desire to designate representative to attend Conference in question. Department would not wish to [Page 23] have any misunderstandings arise through presence of any Americans at Geneva at time of meeting whose being there might occasion the unfounded inference that they were there to voice unofficially the views of this Government. The Department leaves it to your discretion, should you consider it advisable as means of forestalling any such possibility, to attend informally one or more of the sessions of the Conference as an observer, and to make such reply to Sir Eric’s letter as you may deem necessary in circumstances. However, if you feel that circumstances in Geneva are such that no danger of the nature indicated will arise, you will then simply inform Sir Eric that the Department of State does not expect to designate a representative to attend Conference.