763.72119 Military Clauses/108: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany (Sackett) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:15 p.m.]
194. Department’s 115, September 22, 5 p.m. I orally conveyed to Bülow this noon our Government’s attitude as set forth in your [Page 446] telegram under reference as well as in your 311, September 2, noon, and 325, September 16, 1 p.m., to the Embassy at Paris.67
Bülow replied by saying that he took note of the fact that we have not taken any position with respect to the German equality thesis and are not taking sides in the legalistic phase of the discussion. He then said that he could not let the “criticism” of his Government’s attitude pass without saying that he could only understand our taking this view of the case by reason of the distance between Germany and the United States and the very different conditions existing in the latter country, all fairminded people would take a different view of the German position than this. However, this point was of little importance for if Germany could not reach some satisfactory agreement with the interested European powers no persuasion on our part could induce her to go back to the Conference. The foregoing is as nearly a verbatim report of his remarks as possible My impression is that the fact of our taking no sides in the legalistic phase of the controversy was not ungratifying to him but that he was disappointed and upset at what he considered criticism of Germany’s taking the action she has under circumstances which she thinks compelled her to take it.
I may state that the whole tenor of my exposition of the views of our Government was to stress our concern as to the consequences of the action taken by Germany and an earnest hope that she might see her way to modify her attitude.