500.A15A4/1175: Telegram
The Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 25—8:55 a.m.]
275. Your message for Sir John Simon contained in the Department’s 147, June 22, 6 p.m., was forwarded by me in a note to Sir John as he had already left for London. I have just received through Cadogan of the British Delegation here the following text of a reply:
“I am delighted to receive your cordial message which I am communicating to my colleagues. I heartily reciprocate your wish for continued cooperation in our work at Geneva. Only by the cooperation of all the states represented there can we lift the burden of excessive armaments from the shoulders of the world. The spirit and purpose of President Hoover’s declaration are deeply appreciated in Britain and we shall do our utmost by seeking the largest possible measure of agreement amongst all the states represented at the Disarmament Conference, to promote the acceptance of concrete proposals covering the whole field”.
Sir John Simon requests that if you agree both of these messages should be released for tomorrow’s press, that is the release should be made at 8 p.m. this evening London time. In other words it will be 3 p.m. today Washington. If you should agree and the delegation sees no reason why not, although you might care to release the other messages at the same time, please telephone Atherton in London whom I am advising so he will be available.