Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1932, General, Volume I

550.S1/283

The Acting Secretary of State to the American Representatives on the Committee of Experts for the International Monetary and Economic Conference (Day and Williams)

Washington, October 18, 1932.

Gentlemen: The President has appointed you to represent the Government of the United States on the Committee of Experts established pursuant to Resolution No. V of the Lausanne Conference and entrusted thereby with the preliminary examination of the questions to be considered by a Conference on Monetary and Economic Questions and further invited by resolution of the Council of the League of Nations, adopted July 15, 1932,²¹ to prepare a draft annotated agenda for the Conference.

I enclose copy of the above-mentioned Resolution of the Lausanne Conference as transmitted to the Government of the United States by the British Embassy at Washington July 28, 1932, and of the above-mentioned Resolution of the Council of the League of Nations.

The British Embassy in its note of July 28, 1932, inviting the Government of the United States to be represented on the Organizing Committee for the Monetary and Economic Conference and on the preparatory Committee of Experts stated that these invitations were extended on the understanding that the questions of reparations, of debts and specific tariff rates (as distinguished from tariff policy) will be excluded from the scope of the Conference and that among the monetary matters within its scope will be the question of silver. The Acting Secretary of State, in his note of August 2, 1932, accepting the invitations thus extended took note of the British Embassy’s statement of the understanding as to topics on which the invitation was extended. The American experts should bring this understanding to the attention of the Committee of Experts in some appropriate manner and should be guided thereby.

The Department does not desire at this time to give you specific instructions as to the position you should take on any question before the Committee of Experts. In the absence of such specific instructions you are not authorized in any way to bind the Government of the United States and will not be qualified to act as spokesmen of definite official policy. You are qualified, however, to participate in an expert capacity in the discussion of questions before the Committee and to state your understanding of the American point of view, taking care to avoid any action that might be regarded as committing the Government of the United States. Should you desire to ascertain the position of the Government of the United States toward any question before the Committee you should address telegraphic inquiry on the matter to the Department of State.

The resolution adopted by the Council of the League of Nations provides that the preparatory Committee of Experts will keep in touch with the Organizing Committee for the Monetary and Economic Conference. The American members of the Organizing Committee are the Honorable Frederic M. Sackett, American Ambassador at Berlin, and the Honorable Norman H. Davis, who will be available for consultation with you. The officials of governmental departments who will accompany you will be able to supplement your information as to matters before the Committee and to give you such other assistance as their special knowledge of the subject matter makes possible.

Very truly yours,

W. R. Castle, Jr.

21. For text, see League of Nations, Official Journal, July, 1932, p. 1273.