500.A15A4 General Committee/725: Telegram

The Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton) to the Acting Secretary of State

346. Simon’s visit to Paris has crystallized decisions which will confront the very diverse opinions held by British Cabinet members in their next scheduled meeting January 10; will the Cabinet accept the principle of Franco-British accord working rigidly within the framework of the League of Nations towards disarmament? This accord involves:

(a)
Franco-British unity in determining terms of joint offer of an acceptable and just disarmament convention which will be more generous to Germany than that of October but less extensive than the Hitler memorandum. (I learn informally Foreign Office believe that rather than let the question of German rearmament drift, French are now prepared in close cooperation with British to offer a disarmament [Page 353] convention which would include immediate limited disarmament by other powers than Germany, thereby rendering supervised control immediately effective and general rather than unilateral).
(b)
This accord would envisage that if Germany rejects the terms of the proposed convention Britain will accept her obligations under League Covenant in penalizing Germany for violation of disarmament clauses of the Versailles Treaty.

Department’s 320, December 28, 5 p.m. I shall see Eden when he returns to London about January 4 after recuperating from tonsillitis.

Atherton