500.A15/864
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Memorandum
The British Embassy’s memorandum of March 28th arrived during the discussions incident to the preparation for the forthcoming meeting of the Preparatory Commission on April 15th. The American [Page 81] Government appreciates the candor with which the British Government has set forth its views on the slight prospect of achievement at the forthcoming meeting, and the desire of the British Government to bring about some tangible result. The American Government cordially agrees with His Majesty’s Government that progress toward the settlement of naval questions would be much more probable if it could be preceded by consultation between the two Powers, and this Government would be most happy to examine in a friendly spirit any proposals which the British Government may care to put forward.
As is pointed out in the memorandum of the British Embassy, certain continental Governments have always insisted that land, naval and air limitation must be considered concurrently as part of a single program; it therefore seems unlikely that it will be possible to avoid discussion of naval questions without the risk of giving the impression that the naval Powers are preventing discussion of the problem in its entirety. It is also obvious that the time remaining before the meeting of the Commission is rather short for discussions between the two Governments.
The memorandum of the British Embassy is not clear to the American Government in its statement that the purpose of the Preparatory Commission is “to elaborate a convention which would, in practice, amount only to an agreement of the signatory Powers not to exceed certain maximum limitation which would be fixed by each for themselves”. It has been the understanding of the American Government that the purpose of the Commission was to agree on a method of limitation and to prepare a draft treaty which would serve as a frame-work for ultimate quantitative limitation and reduction to be agreed upon by a plenary conference. In other words, it has always been understood that the Preparatory Commission was not authorized to deal with quantitative proposals of any character. The Commission is made up of representatives of a limited number of Powers and any decisions it reaches must receive the approval of numerous other Governments before they can be made a basis upon which ultimate agreement may be reached. This point of view has repeatedly been expressed by numerous delegations without contradiction.
This being the case, the American Government does not entirely understand the suggested proposal of the British Government that each nation should be asked to submit a program of its own in the hope that these several programs might eventually be assembled and embodied in a convention binding the signatories not to exceed them. Such a proposal would seem to call for a material modification of the functions of the Commission. It is quite true that this technical aspect of the competence of the Preparatory Commission should not [Page 82] be permitted to interfere with any ultimate agreement among the naval Powers, but on the other hand a complete change of the basis of discussion from that of method to that of actual quantitative proposals covering all aspects of armament so completely alters the character of the work of the Commission that the American Government doubts whether it would receive general assent. Furthermore, even if such a radical change should be made, it does not appear that the suggested proposal of the British Government, based presumably on this change, would constitute an advance in the discussion of the limitation or reduction of naval armament. The building programs of the naval Powers are, in general, matters of public record, and a mere statement of such programs would not go beyond an agreement to perpetuate existing armaments and projected increases. This could hardly be considered useful achievement in the cause of limitation and reduction. The American Government hopes sincerely that some progress toward agreement on method may be made in the course of the forthcoming meeting. On the other hand, if it should be found that agreement, even of this nature, cannot be reached, the American Government is inclined to believe that ultimate agreement would be advanced by a clear statement of the reasons for failure to agree, rather than by resort to an expedient which might disappoint the hopes of effective reduction and limitation of armaments.
If the meeting of the Preparatory Commission takes place on April 15th, the date now fixed, there will obviously be practically no time prior to the meeting for discussion with the British Government. However, the American Government welcomes the friendly spirit exhibited by the British Government in its memorandum and will at all times be disposed to examine in the most friendly spirit any suggestions that the latter Government may care to advance as a basis for discussion.