793.94 Commission/396: Telegram

The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State

277. Wilson’s 10, September 28, 10 p.m. The Committee of Nineteen met this morning to consider Yen’s letter [of] September 26. A brief discussion took place on the two questions raised.

[Page 282]
1.
It was the consensus of opinion that the time needed by the Assembly for its action under article 15 must be determined largely by the contents of the Lytton report. Consequently no decision could be taken on the duration of the time limit until after the Council had considered the report at its November session and had referred the report, together with its observations, to the Assembly. It was agreed that as soon as the Council took this action the chairman should convene the Committee of Nineteen for the purpose of preparing a resolution to be submitted to the Assembly concerning the duration of the extension.
2.
In regard to the question of aggravating the dispute Hymans called attention to the engagements on this head taken by the parties in the Council’s resolutions of September 30 and of December 10, 1931 and quoted in letter to the two parties transmitting the Assembly’s resolution of July 1 in which he reasserted these undertakings. (Consulate’s despatch 290, Political, July 2,84 last item).

He then paraphrased De Valera’s statement concerning the recognition of the Manchukuo Government (Consulate’s 267, September 24, 4 p.m.) and associated the Committee with that statement. The chairman’s declaration was expressly supported by the Czechoslovak, Swiss, Swedish and Spanish members and was tacitly concurred in by the Committee as a whole.

No resolution was passed on either of the two questions but it was decided that the Japanese and Chinese representatives should be informed of the Committee’s views by transmitting to them copies of the minutes.

Gilbert
  1. Not printed.