500.A15A4/992: Telegram
The Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received April 21—12:05 p.m.]
136. From the Secretary. Your 73, April 20, 2 [1] p.m.95 I shall, of course, endeavor to keep you informed as to my activities here. As far as disarmament is concerned in view of the fact that the French are the key to the situation and Tardieu did not arrive until this morning there is little [to] report to date except to educate myself on the various elements of the situation. Conversations which I have had on the Far East, however, I believe have resulted in [Page 105] definite progress and have been effective with both the British and French in strengthening their determination to cooperate with the United States and I have found general sympathy with my view as to the seriousness of the problem and the necessity for a determined and united attitude.
I attended the session of the General Commission on Tuesday morning. The discussion revolved about resolutions on general principles of which you have been informed. I do not intend to make it a practice to attend these sessions since I believe my time can be much more profitably occupied in outside interviews and unless some particular occasion arises, which I do not now foresee, where my presence at a meeting might be useful.
My interviews, since my 129, April 19, 3 p.m., have been as follows: Grandi lunched with me on Tuesday followed by a long discussion on disarmament and other problems. For your confidential information I found that Italy did not intend to stand in the way of the Danubian customs plan but Grandi stated that Italy would like to give special customs consideration to the group as a whole and asked if the United States would have any objection to this. Such consideration was to be unilateral; it involved no counter-consideration on the part of the group toward Italy. I did not indicate our attitude since among other things I was not at the moment familiar with our commercial treaty relationships, if any, with Italy. In the afternoon I saw te Water of South Africa and Wilford of New Zealand at their request. I found them naturally very strongly sympathetic toward cooperation in the Far East situation and disturbed at the lack of determination in the British attitude which has heretofore occasionally been manifested. I learned later that they had gone immediately from the interview with me to see Simon. I then called on Bruening and had another talk with him but largely of a social nature.
Yesterday, April 20, I talked with Doctor Yen in the morning followed by a long talk with Aubert on the disarmament problem. Simon lunched with me. In the afternoon I received a call from Motta.
Today both Tardieu and MacDonald have arrived. Tardieu, in view of his preoccupation with his election campaign, is only remaining for 1 day but I understand MacDonald expects to be here for about 10 days. I understand that Tardieu has come especially for the purpose of talking with me. I have paid a short call on him this morning and I am having a further conference with him later in the morning and a conference with MacDonald. This evening [Page 106] Tardieu, Grandi and possibly other members of their delegations are dining with me.
The crux of the problem in the Disarmament Conference is the old French demand for security. They seem determined to agree to no step in reduction or limitation until their demand is met in some way or another. I think, however, that they are thoroughly conscious of our own limitations in this respect and I do not expect even any importunities on their part for any serious contribution from the United States. The real question is how far the British will go with them. I am confident that no public progress at the Conference itself can be made but Tardieu and MacDonald have both agreed with me to see how far we can go in private explorations to find a basis of subsequent public agreement. I hope within the next few days to be able to form a clearer judgment on the prospects of ultimate accomplishment and of determining in what direction the best hope for a common agreement lies.
I am endeavoring to get on a basis of frankness and understanding of our respective positions with the French and to convince them that the role which the American delegation desires to play is solely that of helpfulness in the solution of problems which fundamentally belong to others and that we have no preconceived formulae on which we insist or which we desire to impose upon the Conference.
You must appreciate that the atmosphere of the Conference at the present moment is very pessimistic. There is a definite feeling of discouragement and confusion. On the other hand all of the nations represented seem to be impressed with a genuine desire not to permit a complete failure. There is also a clear understanding on the part of all delegations that were the Conference to break up and the onus be placed on any one nation or group of nations it would be a long step backwards from the goal sought by all. [Stimson.]
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