Office of the Historian

500.A15A4 General Committee/342: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the American Delegate (Wilson)79

Washington, May 6, 1933—3:14 p.m.

328. For Norman Davis. Your 627 and 628, May 3, Midnight. The President has carefully considered this problem and wishes you to be guided by the following principles:

1.
Our basic policy is one of strengthening the power of defense as against that of attack. The aggressive power of mobile artillery depends primarily on its caliber. The President therefore considers our ultimate goal to be the greatest possible reduction in the size of mobile land artillery and feels that no maximum caliber for future guns (down to 105 mm.) which is acceptable to all other nations would be too low for us. If all the other participating Powers desire a maximum caliber of 105 mms. for new construction or replacement, the United States can associate itself with this common will.
2.
Despite our disbelief in the principle of the destruction of abolished artillery, we would, if this issue becomes critical, be prepared to agree to such means of disposal of abolished artillery as all other nations find acceptable, with a view thereby to reaching a final agreement.
3.
However, should exceptions in favor of any countries be insisted on, corresponding or equivalent amendments in the interests of the United States would become appropriate. Thus if the French should obtain a modification of the plan in such manner as to exempt their intra-fortress heavy mobile guns, we should secure a corresponding change in the direction of safeguarding our coastal railway artillery. This could then probably be accomplished by assimilating railway guns to mobile fortress guns and permitting their retention within specified fortress and coastal zones.
4.
Therefore the President believes that the Delegation should hold a watching brief on the question of land artillery and await the development of the views of other delegations, particularly non-Euro-Pean.

Hull
  1. This telegram bears the following notations: “Approved by the President,” and “Text shown to Gen. MacArthur; at his request ¶2 was softened.”↩