500.A15/1167: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 4—4:39 p.m.]
54. A number of general statements will be made at the final session of the Preparatory Commission and there will be an excessive amount of self-congratulation on the results which our draft convention has achieved, if past experience can be relied on. The undue optimism shown in America in regard to the reduction which the London Conference would achieve greatly embarrassed us there, as [Page 201] you will remember. Serious disillusionment, will, we fear, face the American people if they have similar high hopes of the results to be achieved by the General Disarmament Conference, and our failure to inform them of the meager results which are to be expected may consequently be criticized. In order to sound a note of warning as to realities, a step which you may consider advisable, I have prepared a speech which I am sending for your consideration in my telegram No. 55 (December 4, 9 p.m.).
In paragraph 3 a reference to the concern which some powers have for national security has been inserted in order that French criticism may be disarmed and so that in our attempts to put the final discussions on an honest basis the French may be given an opportunity to cooperate. The quotation from Lincoln has been inserted with the belief that it will have a good effect among those who urge reduction in the United States and on the Continent; we recognize, however, that the Continental press may possibly remove this from its context in an effort to show that Germany’s contention that the Allied Powers have no real intention of reducing armaments is being supported by us. It is important to have your comments or approval at the earliest possible date for the reason that the general statements may come by Saturday of this week.