500.A15a3/1239: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation on the Preparatory Commission (Gibson)
1. Your No. 2, November 5, 11 p.m. This morning the French Ambassador called on me and brought up the suggestion, which had previously come to me indirectly through a well-known press correspondent, that France should exercise her rights under the Washington Treaty and should build three battle cruisers, all of high speed, and that if this construction could be accomplished on some tacit understanding that the Italians would not build, at the same time retaining their rights under the Washington Treaty, it might be possible to reach a practical parity in auxiliary craft.
Claudel asked me whether I had informed you of this suggestion. I said that I had not, as I assumed you had heard of it from Tardieu in Paris; I refrained from mentioning your discussion of it with Grandi (telegram No. 107, November 3, 9 p.m., from Rome). Claudel said that in all probability Tardieu had not discussed this proposition as it was his, the Ambassador’s, own idea which he had put forward merely to be helpful.
To give you further background, it appears that the suggestion must have emanated originally from the Naval Attaché of the French Embassy, who discussed it with one of the press correspondents about a week ago. The latter reported it to the Department. As no comment was elicited from the Department, the Naval Attaché again urged his press acquaintance to tell the Department that comment on the suggestion was desired. The inference was also drawn by the correspondent in question that the proposition was viewed very favorably by the French Admiralty, although it was less acceptable to the Prime Minister, who did not see in it any possibility of economy.
Referring to your suggestion in event of French-Italian negotiations approaching deadlock, it seems wholly satisfactory here that each side consider the possibility of differentiating between replacement [Page 175] and new construction, and that a parity in new construction might be reached, always taking into account the fact that the new building together with any replacement construction must still be within bounds which are acceptable to the parties to the London Naval Treaty.