500.A15A4 Steering Committee/88: Telegram
The American Delegate (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 13—11:04 a.m.]
409. At a secret meeting of the Bureau Henderson explained the efforts which he had made to bring the French and German delegations [Page 343] together to discuss their difficulties. He had recently written to Von Neurath asking him whether he could return to Geneva in the near future for this purpose. Henderson received a telegram yesterday in which Von Neurath stated that having accepted the invitation to London he could not come to Geneva. After wishing well to the efforts made at London Henderson stated that Herriot had told him in Paris that the “French plan”84 would be ready approximately at the end of this month. Henderson said that he had consulted with the officers of the Conference and Drummond and they were unanimously of the opinion that the Bureau should authorize the President to call the next meeting of the Bureau on November 3rd in order to give more time to those who are now carrying on work under the resolution of July 23rd. At that time also the French plan would have been presented and could be examined in the Bureau. The officers of the Conference further recommended that the notification necessary under paragraph 6, section 3, of the resolution of July 23rd should be issued summoning the General Commission for a meeting during the week beginning November 21st. Henderson explained that this meeting would give 3 weeks to the General Commission to work not only on the results of the Bureau’s efforts but also on the new French plan and perhaps the French-German relations. He added that it was unlikely that the General Commission could sit in January because of the World Economic Conference85 and under the resolution it was necessary for it to sit within 4 months from September 19. The Bureau acquiesced in this arrangement.
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