550.S1/595: Telegram

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

71. From Davis. My 68, April 2, 3 p.m., and your 65, April 3, 11 a.m. Based on conversations before I left I have been working on the theory the President and you preferred to have the Conference meet late in May or early in June. However, I fully appreciate considerations advanced in your number 65, April 3, 11 a.m., and shall arrange with Simon to have meeting of Organizing Committee after Easter and we can then decide whether [Page 483] to attempt to have the Conference convene prior to June 15th or put it off for a week or two after that date.

If early date of meeting is decided upon and there is no further exhaustive preparatory work it might be necessary to follow some such plan as suggested by MacDonald, namely, to have a short plenary meeting with general statements only and leave the detailed negotiations to subcommittees.

Another and I believe preferable alternative and one which seems to be gaining in favor even though some delay might be involved is to have a preliminary meeting in Washington which could be initiated by the discussions with the British and then broadened to include the Germans and Italians. In order to avoid creating the impression that we were taking up economic negotiations solely with countries involved in the debt and reparation issue from facing a united front [sic] you might wish to bring in Japan and for various reasons also China. Assuming that such preliminary collaboration could take place in Washington during the last of April and the greater part of May the Conference might still be convened about the middle of June.

I place these two alternatives before you and when our legislative situation clarifies I would be glad if you could let pie have for my guidance an indication as to which you consider preferable. On the whole I am inclining to the opinion that the second alternative of preliminary conversations in Washington is more likely to lead to the success of the Conference and that this would be advisable even though it may retard somewhat the convening of the Conference. I would therefore suggest for your consideration the advisability of working along this line unless there are political or other considerations which make it desirable to have meeting of the Conference around June 1st. [Davis.]

Atherton