500.A15A4 Agenda/12: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson)
23. Your No. 39, February 18, 5 p.m. For Simonds from War Department.
“Re inquiry on German proposals concerning calibers of artillery, the War Department is unalterably opposed to any limitation on calibers of guns on fixed mounts employed for seacoast defense. Such weapons are wholly divested of any aggressive character. Their replacement by smaller calibers would add nothing to a real effort for peace. To lower calibers would involve excessive cost of scrapping present defenses and installing lower calibers. This is unthinkable involving for us hundreds of millions of dollars. Your last alternative entirely unacceptable for above reasons. Every effort should be made to retain existing coast defense railway artillery for similar reasons. In regard to limitation of calibers of mobile artillery, the War Department is prepared to accept such limitations as would be generally agreed to by all other great powers for their field forces, having regard to existing approximate equivalents in units of measurement used by the United States Army, for instance, the bracket inclusive of calibers 105 mm must embrace our caliber 155 mm howitzer and gun. Be careful that no pitfalls permit scrapping of our elements because of slight difference of calibers from foreign services.”