Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1931, Volume I

500.A15a3/1373

The British Ambassador (Lindsay) to the Secretary of State

Washington, February 25, 1931.

No. 54

Sir: With reference to the International Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament signed at London on April 22nd, 1930, I have the honour, under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to inform you that, as a result of conversations which he and the First Lord of the Admiralty have had in Paris, a provisional agreement has been reached on the following points subject of course to the concurrence of the United States, the Japanese and the Italian Governments:—

(1) Capital ships. Without prejudice to a subsequent general revision of capital ship tonnages fixed by the Treaty of Washington, the total tonnage of capital ships which France and Italy may retain under the Treaty of Washington to be raised from 175,000 tons⁷⁵ to 181,000 tons. The purpose of this provision is to permit France to retain one capital ship of the Jean Bart class which she would otherwise be obliged to scrap on completion of her second new battle cruiser.⁷⁶ This should greatly facilitate an agreement with Italy because it would enable the present French superiority in capital ships to continue throughout the period of the agreement notwithstanding the construction of new capital ships by France and Italy. While His Majesty’s Government greatly regret the necessity of any increase, however slight, in the capital ship tonnages agreed on at Washington, they feel, if this arrangement would in fact facilitate a provisional settlement of the immensely difficult Franco-Italian naval problem, that this price should be reluctantly paid. I am to express the earnest hope that the United States Government will be prepared to agree to this increase in the interest of a general settlement.

(2) Cruisers, destroyers and submarines. The agreement proposed is on the general lines of that under discussion between Messrs. Massigli, Rosso and Craigie at Geneva last December.⁷⁷ The only modifications are that the over age position would be changed by France keeping a greater quantity over age in the light surface craft category and a smaller quantity in first class cruisers and capital ship categories. The total of French over age would however remain approximately the same.

(3) Submarines. No further construction other than for completing the 1930 programme and for the replacement of tonnage becoming over age after December 31st, 1931. The French Government was unable to accept a lower figure than that resulting from this formula (viz. 81, 989 tons) but it agrees that the question can be reopened if the whole naval question comes up for fresh discussion at the Disarmament Conference in 1932.

(4) His Majesty’s Government maintain that this figure is too high in relation to the British destroyer figure of 150,000 tons under the London Naval Treaty but they agree to notify the other Powers under Part 3 of the Naval Treaty that they will not have recourse to Article 21 of that Treaty pending the general revision of the naval question mentioned above. Should it not be possible at the 1932 Conference to arrive at a more satisfactory equilibrium between the French submarine tonnage and British destroyer tonnage, His Majesty’s Government will retain their right to make such increase as they may judge necessary in the British destroyer figure of 150,000 tons.

(5) It was also agreed that a declaration on the following lines should be signed either by the Three Powers immediately interested or by the Five Powers signatories of the London Naval Treaty. It is understood that the present agreement establishes no permanent ratio in any category of ship as between the British Empire, France and Italy and that in particular no precedent is being created for a final solution of the question whether and in what manner, tonnage remaining over age on December 31st, 1931 may ultimately be replaced.

Mr. Henderson and the First Lord of the Admiralty have now left for Rome to put these proposals before the Italian Government but Mr. Henderson has thought it desirable to inform the United States Government officially of the position now reached in the hope that they will be prepared to secure an agreement on the lines now contemplated.

I am instructed to enquire the views of the United States Government on the above proposals and to express the hope that Mr. Henderson may be informed of them at the earliest possible moment. At the same time I am to urge emphatically the need for absolute secrecy as any leakage at this stage might have the worst possible consequences.

I have [etc.]

R. C. Lindsay

75. Article 4 of treaty signed at Washington, February 6, 1922, Foreign Relations, 1922, vol. i, p. 247.
76. See in the Washington Treaty the table for the Replacement and Scrapping of Capital Ships (France), ibid., p. 261.
77. See ibid., 1930, vol. i, pp. 181–183.