793.94 Commission/626: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Chairman of the American Delegation to the General Disarmament Conference (Gibson)
48. For Davis. Your 59, December 8, 8 p.m. The reports of Simon’s speech as published in the press here are disconcerting. I approve most heartily of your action in seeing him immediately and I endorse thoroughly the views which you expressed.
The line taken by Simon in this speech as reported is in striking contrast to the position of the Canadian Prime Minister of which I have given you account in my telegram No. 48 [49], December 9, 1 p.m.
In conversation with MacDonald and Simon you may state that I feel that any indication of weakness or of adoption at this stage of an unduly tolerant and too conciliatory attitude by the League, and especially by the British Government, would give the Japanese conclusively the impression that their whole course of action up to date is condoned and that there neither exists nor will be placed from without any real obstacle to their persisting in the course which they have followed and the attitude which they have announced. Failure to reaffirm the principle of non-recognition would leave the situation uncertain as among the powers, would give the impression of lack of solidarity, would leave open to Japan the possibility of special bargains with particular powers, and would amount to omission of the one positive step which it is readily possible for the League to take in advance of and pending the tackling of the difficult problem of conciliation the handling of which will probably require prolonged and patient efforts. If the League fails now to take advantage of the very definite findings of fact of the Lytton Report and proceeds on the [Page 406] assumption that Japan must be permitted to determine the course of action or inaction within the League just as she has determined the course of events in the Far East, I frankly despair of any success on the part of agencies of conciliation in regulating the situation.
In fact, if the British Government shows itself willing neither as a government nor as a member of the League to take a stand on behalf of principles, and if the League, in consequence, dodges the issues and pretends to believe that a committee or commission of conciliation can, unsupported by a foundation of principles and an indication of resoluteness in regard thereto on the part of the major powers, accomplish anything effective with regard to this situation, I cannot but doubt whether any useful purpose would be served by our appointing a representative, if asked so to do, to work with such a commission.
On the whole, a set of resolutions along the lines of those which have been introduced seems to me so clearly called for as to warrant expression on my part of the view that failure of the League to take some such stand at this time would amount to an acknowledgment of Japan’s contention that the Covenant and the treaties present no real obstacles to Japan’s proceeding as she may choose.
I should be glad to have you express these views, as per the whole of the above, to MacDonald. In doing so you should say that I wish that he know my views but feel that it would be diplomatically inexpedient for him to quote me or to attribute these views to the American Government at this juncture.