Office of the Historian

500.A15A4 Plenary Sessions/23: Telegram

The Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State

Geneva, February 18, 1932—2 p.m.
[Received February 18—1:10 p.m.]

37. Nadolny, the acting head of the German delegation, today read before the Conference the German proposals and explanation of them in the most tactless speech yet made since it did little except irritate every sore point in the whole disarmament question while adding nothing to what was already known of Germany’s attitude on the subject. He pointed out that Germany started from the fact that it and three other countries have already carried out disarmament under regulations set up by the powers which drafted article 8 of the Covenant and which had declared that the disarmament of the four countries was to be a first step toward general disarmament. He then proceeded to point out the defects in the draft convention as drawn up by the Preparatory Commission. Paragraph 1 provides insufficient limitation of land matériel; paragraph 2 air armament is allowed to exist in the draft. It excludes trained reserves and varied methods of recruitment from consideration under the personnel and furthermore departs in almost every decisive point the rules of disarmament imposed on Germany at the end of the war while expressly maintaining those very rules for Germany. Therefore, Germany submits proposals not intended to be exhaustive hoping to be of fundamental importance in regard to the prevention of aggression. The proposals are based on the theory that there can be one system of disarmament equally applicable to all countries.

The summary of the proposals is as follows:

1. Land forces.

(a)
Personnel
(1)
Personnel of land forces shall be generally recruited only by means of voluntary enlistment.
(2)
If the system of recruitment is left to the countries themselves adequate allowances must be made for trained reserves and these included in general reduction.
(3)
The special circumstances of states with militia must be taken into consideration.
(4)
The number of officers should be fixed at the lowest figure for all countries alike of a percentage of the total effective strength.
(5)
Police forces, et cetera, must be limited to and excluded from use for military purposes.
(b)
Matériel
(6)
The following categories of arms shall be forbidden:
(a)
All guns of more than 75 millimeters and howitzers of more than 105 millimeters except in fortresses and field works where guns shall not be of more than 150 millimeters and howitzers of more than 210 millimeters.
(b)
Mortars and trench mortars above 150 millimeters.
(c)
Tanks of all kinds.
(7)
The arms permitted under the above definitions shall be fixed for each state with a uniform allowance for replacements.
(c)
Fortifications
(8)
The construction and maintenance of fortresses, field works and works which constitute a direct menace to neighboring countries at the frontier shall be prohibited.

2. Naval forces.

(a)
Matériel
(9)
The maximum tonnage of the various types of vessel shall be reduced together with the proportional reduction of total tonnage. No vessel of war in the future shall exceed 10,000 tons nor carry guns above 280 millimeters.
(10)
Aircraft carriers shall be abolished.
(11)
Submarines shall be abolished.
(12)
The following definitions shall apply to all vessels of war: capital ships—those which exceed 6,000 tons with a gun above 150 millimeters. Cruisers—above 800 tons with guns exceeding 105 millimeters. Destroyers—those with standard displacement under 800 tons and with guns under 105 millimeters.
(13)
Non-floating matériel shall be fixed both as regards categories and quantities.
(b)
Personnel
(14)
Naval personnel shall be recruited only by voluntary enlistment.
(15)
The number of officers and warrant officers shall be fixed as a percentage of the total strength.
(c)
Fortifications
(16)
Coast defense fortifications may be retained except those which control natural waterways between two open seas.

3. Air forces.

(17)
Maintenance of air forces is forbidden.
(18)
Dropping of bombs from aircraft and preparation therefor is forbidden.
(19)
In order to enforce the prohibition of military aviation the following shall be forbidden:
(a)
Instruction of any person in military aviation.
(b)
Instruction of members of army in civil aviation.
(c)
Construction, maintenance or importation of aircraft, armoured, protected or constructed for mounting guns or dropping bombs.
(d)
The maintenance of relations between the military or naval administrations and civil aviation corps for military purposes.

4. General clauses.

(a)
Chemical arms
(20)
Prohibition of military use of asphyxiating, poisonous or similiar gases and means of bacteriological war as well as preparation therefor.
(b)
Traffic and manufacture of arms.
(21)
Export and import of war armaments, ammunition and matériel shall be prohibited. Countries without manufacture shall be given the possibility of importing.
(22)
Manufacture of war armaments and matériel can only be carried out in a limited number of private or state factories which shall be made public.
(23)
There shall be full and frank exchange of information on the subject of the size of armaments and expenditure thereon.
Note: The German Delegation does not feel that due to the differences in purchasing power limitation of expenditure is a useful guide and feels that direct disarmament would automatically be accompanied by decrease of the heavy financial burdens.
(24)
The execution of disarmament clauses should be secured by procedure of control equally applicable to all countries.
Gibson