500.A15/893
The British Ambassador (Howard) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I did not fail to transmit at once to my Government the text of the memorandum setting out the views of the United States Government in regard to naval disarmament which Mr. Castle handed to Mr. Campbell on the 20th instant. I now have the honour, under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform you that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom are most grateful for this very friendly reply of [Page 97] the United States Government to the observations of His Majesty’s Government contained in this Embassy’s memorandum of April 10th.
When sending me these instructions, Sir A. Chamberlain had just received a summary of the very important statement made yesterday by the representative of the United States Government at the Preparatory Commission on Disarmament now meeting at Geneva, in which the views of the United States Government were further developed. He desires me to say that as stated at once by the British representative at Geneva, Lord Cushendun, His Majesty’s Government entirely reciprocate the spirit of Mr. Gibson’s declarations, which are likely to have a profound influence on the deliberations of the Commission, and that they agree that it is along the lines indicated by Mr. Gibson that the problem ought now to be investigated.
I have [etc.]