793.94 Commission/654: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 14—9:17 p.m.]
68. Drummond asked me to call this evening and informed me that the subcommittee (my 64, December 12, 8 p.m.) of Committee of Nineteen [Page 423] sat this afternoon for 4 hours. They drafted a resolution to propose to the Assembly. The draft is by no means final but they hope in a meeting late tomorrow afternoon (Thursday) to reach final agreement. Such agreement would enable them to discuss the matter on Friday with the parties to the complaint, call an Assembly for Saturday and get the resolution adopted.
The resolution, of which Drummond did not give me a text, as he only had one in his possession, declares among other things that it is not felt desirable at this stage of the proceedings to adopt a report. (He explained that a report is provided for under paragraph 4, article 15, and that they may in subsequent proceedings be driven to such procedure). The resolution continues that had they been under the necessity of presenting a report it would have been based on the first eight chapters of the Lytton report which they consider “an impartial and complete statement of fact.”
The resolution also states “considering that by its resolution of March 11 the Assembly formulated principles which fix the attitude of the League of Nations in regard to any solution reached of this dispute”.
It is further stated that any solution reached must be in conformity with the Covenant of the League of Nations, the Kellogg Pact and the Nine-Power Treaty. The draft resolution further provides for the setting up of a committee for the purpose only of negotiating a settlement and the work of this committee will be based on the principles of chapter 9 of the Lytton report and due consideration will be given to chapter 10 thereof.
The committee referred to in the preceding paragraph will be composed of the states, members of the Committee of Nineteen, and the United States and Russia will be invited to take part. The work of the committee will be carried on with the collaboration of the parties to the dispute. The report also provides that the committee should make a report not necessarily final before March 1st, 1933.
Drummond desired me to state whether I thought that a resolution approximately along foregoing lines would be satisfactory. He stated that if it was not satisfactory it might be possible to suppress the reference to the resolution of March 11th above and replace it with the following:
“The Committee of Nineteen believes that the simple return of the status quo ante will not constitute a lasting solution of the difficulty and that the maintenance and recognition [of the] now-existing regime in Manchuria could not be considered as a solution.”
After making your position clear, as expressed in your 51, I replied that the insertion of the paragraph immediately above would, I believed, be considered preferable by you; that I could not say what your [Page 424] attitude would be in the event that the resolution went through as Drummond showed it to me in original form, though I doubted whether the Chinese would accept it. It was agreed that I would request you as early as possible to give me information as to whether
- (1)
- The draft resolution in the shape which Drummond showed it to me could be considered by us as an acceptable basis for participating in the work of conciliation, and
- (2)
- Whether the alternate paragraph quoted above would ease your position towards acceptance.
Inasmuch as subcommittee hopes to complete its negotiations by tomorrow, Thursday, afternoon, you may feel it desirable to call me by telephone at the office early Thursday morning. I shall be available in this case.
Drummond assures me that any expression of opinion you can give for his guidance can be held as strictly confidential by the members of the subcommittee. Nevertheless, I feel that you must contemplate the possible revelation by some member of the subcommittee of any opinion you may express.