500.A15A4 General Committee/491: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation ( Davis )81
Washington
, June 17,
1933—10 a.m.
356. Your 681, June 1, 2 p.m.81a and 280 June 16, 11 a.m. from Paris. I recognize that some effective method for the control of the manufacture of and trade in arms is a necessary corollary to any effective program for the limitation of armament, but I find grave objections to the French proposal which approaches the problem from the wrong angle.
- 1 (b). The quotas provided for in 1 (a) would presumably be established on the basis of the armament needs of the several contracting parties. To base the quantities which could be manufactured for export upon quotas derived from these quotas would be to attempt to establish a mathematical relation between two quantities which bear no necessary relation to each other. I cannot conceive how any such relationship could be established with fairness to the several contracting parties. It would tend to freeze a situation which would favor certain countries as exporters of arms over others and it would constitute a restraint of trade unnecessary to limitation of armament.
- 2 (c). This provision of the proposal would appear to constitute an unnecessary complication. Such a system would increase the disadvantage of the non-producing powers in relation to the producing powers and its administration would undoubtedly give rise to delays and resulting charges of favoritism which would outweigh any possible advantages.
- 3. This Government sees grave objections to any system of licenses under the control of an international commission. Any proposal to make the issuing of licenses dependent upon permission granted by an official of the League of Nations would be particularly objectionable.
Phillips