500.A15A4 Naval Armaments/102: Telegram
The Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 20—5:53 p.m.]
262. In accordance with the question which you raised over the telephone of what the British might be able to accept in the cruiser category and the various observations between us in accordance with your talk, I submit for your consideration a phraseology:
“The limitation placed by the London Naval [Treaty?] upon the cruiser class represented a drastic reduction in actual tonnage or in the projected programs of the signatory powers. However, if corresponding reductions are accepted by other naval powers and the program here proposed is carried into effect, the United States is prepared to accept a further blank per cent cut in its treaty cruiser tonnage as soon as the adjustments can be made which will permit [Page 195] the other treaty powers to make corresponding reductions. Hence, I propose that we proceed to further reductions in the cruiser class to bring it into harmony with the reductions here proposed for other naval categories at the time of the revision of the London Treaty in 1935 or earlier if possible”.