500.A15A4 General Committee/303: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 25—11:45 a.m.]
607. Before receipt of your 32049a I had likewise reached the conclusion that an adjournment should be avoided. But if the Conference is to be kept going with success we must deal with the realities of the situation and face the vital issues which are now before it. My 165, from Paris,49b was partly prompted with a view of giving the President and you ample time to consider the questions raised in my 163 and 16449c and for consultations by and between the key men of other governments. Your 320 and press reports received here indicate that discussions vitally affecting disarmament works are taking place in Washington and this may help to furnish us a real basis for achievement in disarmament and the appeasement in Europe that would result therefrom is a prerequisite to economic recovery and the success of the Economic Conference.
This afternoon the General Commission will have before it for discussion part I (security) of the British plan. The discussion will apparently be initiated by debate on various amendments which have been proposed and it may therefore be possible for me to avoid taking any position for a day or two. However, part I has as its fundamental object the bringing into world discussion and cooperation those states which are not members of the League of Nations, primarily the United States and Russia, hence I cannot long postpone indicating what our attitude is to be. Since we are now in effect committed by declaration and by actual practice to the principle of consultation in the event of a breach or a threat of a breach of the Kellogg Pact the only question at issue in that respect is whether or not we shall incorporate this principle in a treaty. If, therefore, you are now prepared to authorize me to go this far it will be sufficient to prevent us from becoming an obstacle in the present debate and will go a long way towards starting the discussion of the British plan under favorable conditions and help towards an early realization of some measure of disarmament.
The wider conception of security presented in my 163 and 164, from Paris, are just as essential and important but do not form a part of the immediate debate and therefore it will be possible to give further time for consideration to these points even though a decision on general consultation under treaty provisions is necessary.