500.A15A4 General Committee/6: Telegram
The Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 25—3:48 p.m.]
50. After a long and arduous debate the Soviet proposal that the Conference consider general and complete disarmament to the exclusion [Page 49] of the present draft convention was rejected and the British proposal was adopted in the following terms:
“The General Commission request leave to carry on its discussions within the framework of the draft disarmament convention, full liberty being reserved to all delegations to develop their own proposals in subsequent debate and to move their amendments in the form of modifications, additions or omissions at the appropriate point”.
The Commission then determined to establish five committees, namely, land, naval, air, national expenditure, and political.