500.A15a3/31
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Dawes) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 26.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s telegram No. 158, June 17, 4 p.m., in which reference was made to my trip to Scotland for the purpose of discussing with Mr. Ramsay MacDonald the question of naval disarmament in connection with my speech to be delivered before the Pilgrim Society this evening. At the conclusion of our conference, which was most satisfactory, Mr. MacDonald read the following statement:
“General Dawes and myself have agreed to read you this as a communiqué to be issued as a result of our conversations.
“We have had a conversation regarding the present position of the question of naval disarmament as between the United States and Great Britain.
“It has been informal and general and most satisfactory.
“His Excellency proposes to refer to the subject at the Pilgrims Dinner on Tuesday next, and I shall do the same myself at the same time at Lossiemouth, and that is intended to be the beginning of the negotiations.
“We both wish to make it clear that the other naval Powers are expected to co-operate in these negotiations, upon the successful consummation of which the peace of the whole world must depend.”
Although this trip for a three-hour conference necessitated altogether some thirty hours in the train, we were accompanied by a group of reporters, principally American, and the London press also evinced considerable interest. There are enclosed copies of articles appearing in the more important London journals.11 Other editorials of possibly less moment are being forwarded to the Department in the usual manner with the Embassy’s press clippings.
It may not be amiss at this moment to quote from a speech delivered by Mr. Winston Churchill to his constituents a day or so before my conversation took place with Mr. MacDonald. The entire text of this speech is appended hereto.
“If naval equality is to lead to a jealous and suspicious scrutiny of every ship and every gun and every armour-plate between the two navies/it would be much better to have no agreement at all, and for each of us to go our own way, acting sensibly and soberly and in a neighbourly fashion, but free and unfettered.
“Since Mr. Hoover became President of the United States it has seemed to me, at any rate, that a more comprehending and sympathetic spirit has been imparted to the policy of the United States, not only towards this country, but towards Europe in general.”
There was no editorial comment on this subject in either the Daily Herald or the Times, but both of these papers have extended a cordial welcome to me in recent editorials.
I have [etc.]
Counselor of Embassy
- Not reprinted.↩