500.A15A4/1065½
Mr. Norman H. Davis of the American Delegation to the Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I cabled you yesterday the substance of the interesting and rather promising conference with Monsieur [Page 143] Herriot at Lyon on Sunday. Just to what extent he will pursue the course indicated after the formation of the new Government will no doubt depend upon circumstances. He impressed me, however, as being a good man who wishes to do the right thing but who does not feel quite certain of his grasp of certain problems and their relation to others. I feel, however, that we have established a contact that may be most valuable.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Our trip to London was, I think, as successful as could have been expected. It was somewhat surprising to have Mr. Baldwin advocate such far reaching steps for a reduction in armaments. We did explain to him fully that with the situation that now exists in the Far East you would not consider any weakening of the naval force, and left him in no doubt as to your attitude about the abolition of capital ships. He did not argue against it except to say that it was all a question of relativity, intimating that it was something that could not be brought about immediately but which might be forced by financial conditions. I think what is influencing him more than anything else is a feeling that Great Britain has just, as the result of a very great effort, succeeded in balancing her budget in the face of a depreciated currency but that if conditions do not improve and Government income falls off still further, which is probable, they will be faced with the necessity of reducing expenditures since they feel that they have practically exhausted all of their power for further taxation.
He did not intimate that they would go so far as to propose such a plan for reduction unless we were in accord with them. Nevertheless, it might be wise for us to consider some proposals which would give enough measure of relief to satisfy them and prevent the possibility of their making a proposal which might prove really embarrassing.
We are concerned about the position the Delegation is now in for lack of a coherent and inclusive plan, and because of the restrictions placed upon us after we have publicly advanced along certain lines with our Government’s authorization. We are discussing the matter here with a view to laying our problems before you and it may be that a telegram will reach you before this letter, but in essence it boils down to this—the President has said we can’t have too much reduction for him; you have said the sky is the limit. If, therefore, the British Government or anybody else come out with a comprehensive and not unfair plan which leaves relative strength unimpaired and which is calculated to break the jam we are now in and promote world recovery, what position is the American Delegation in if acting on present instructions it cannot heartily approve?
[Page 144]You will remember that when you were here Gibson and Wilson talked with you about conversations which they had had with Tevfik Rüstü Bey, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his intention to make a declaration in the line of your policy of non-recognition of rights acquired by violence and in opposition to treaties. When Rüstü Bey was talking this thing over with Gibson he said that when an appropriate opportunity arose he intended to take such action himself and to try the possibility of inducing the Soviets to take the same course. There is a possibility, however, that the Russians might want to hold off from this until they feel there is some chance of establishing a contact with the United States. Nevertheless if you think it would be well for Russia and Turkey to make a declaration endorsing the doctrine enunciated in the Borah letter18 please let us know so that we may be guided accordingly.
I hope you had a pleasant and restful trip home and that you are now entirely recovered from the flu. Please convey my respects to Mrs. Stimson and give my warm regards to Klots and Regnier.
As ever,
Faithfully yours,
- Dated February 23, 1932; quoted in telegram No. 50, February 24, 2 p.m., to the Consul General at Shanghai, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 83.↩