Office of the Historian

511.4A6/322: Telegram

The Chairman of the American Delegation (Caldwell) to the Secretary of State

Geneva, May 30, 1931—3 p.m.
[Received 5:30 p.m.]

4. During the general discussion at the specific request of the President I made a brief statement which was well received this morning at the plenary session of the Opium Conference embodying the following principles:

(1)
No plan yet presented is entirely acceptable to the United States.
(2)
The United States is prepared to assist in obtaining any practical means by which limitation of manufacture may be attained.
(3)
Stated belief that there should be a limitation of the quantities of raw materials which manufacturers are allowed to use thus automatically limiting products.
(4)
Import and export certificate system should be applied to all opium and coca leaf derivatives.
(5)
Governments should account for all imports, manufacture, sales and exports of all raw materials and drugs.

Full copy by open mail.96

Caldwell
  1. For text, see Department of State Conference Series No. 10, p. 6.↩