511.4a6/712
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 9.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s telegram No. 161 dated October 13, 7 p.m. and to the Consulate’s reply thereto, No. 301, October 15, 11 a.m.,4 with particular reference to paragraph “2” of the telegram last cited, and to state that due to Sir Eric Drummond’s recent absence from Geneva I was unable until today to take up this matter with him.
In pursuance of the Department’s directions I have now, however, informally made known to the Secretary-General the position of the American Government as follows: (1) That the American Government desires very much that the Convention for the Limitation of Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs be made operative in 1933 and that it is thus hoped that the League will use every effort to bring about the Convention’s early implementation; (2) That in case financial considerations enter into the question of the League’s action in the premises, the American Government as a party to the Convention will be prepared to defray its proportionate share of the expenses incident to implementing and administering the Convention.
Sir Eric declared that he was fully acquainted with the action taken by the Supervisory Commission of the League respecting the non-inclusion in the League budget of expenses connected with the Limitation Convention and the statement which was made in the Commission in explanation of this action. This matter was discussed in this Consulate’s telegrams No. 256, September 21, 6 p.m., No. 286, October 6, 10 p.m., and 295, October 11, 9 a.m. [p.m.],5 to which reference is hereby made. Sir Eric then stated that it was he who had inspired the position taken in the Supervisory Commission, inasmuch as he thought that there had been too much indifference on the part of the powers respecting their ratification of the Convention in question, and that a statement in the Commission indicating the Secretariat’s knowledge of this attitude would bring the matter into the open and would serve a useful purpose. He expressed himself as gratified by the discussions which this had evoked and he said that he felt that the subsequent expression of an intention to ratify the Convention on the part of a number of governments was a direct result of the incidents described.
Respectfully yours,