500.A15A4 General Committee/313: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation ( Davis ) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 28—1:16 p.m.]
616. Your 324, April 27, 7 p.m. Herriot’s statement is more accurate than MacDonald’s. Without entering into a technical analysis which Moffat61 can give you MacDonald’s plan under article 96 replaces the military clauses of Versailles and therefore puts Germany on the same legal footing as other states. Thus Germany’s freedom would be unlimited except (a) where all states are bound by the same limitation and (b) where the amount of armaments each state may have in a given category is specifically set forth in a table. As a matter of fact the British plan through ingenious arrangement results in keeping Germany close to her present qualitative level but there are one or two notable exceptions particularly tanks under 16 tons unit weight where the plan in its present uncompleted form provides no limitation for Germany and in the case of large fortress guns which would now be permitted to Germany.
I fully agree that we should oppose the rearmament of Germany. The British plan, however, in spite of certain obvious defects offers such a well adjusted balance between the French and the German nations that I feel it would be a mistake to give unqualified support to French modifications of the plan designed to prevent what they might call rearmament but which might make the plan totally unacceptable to Germany. France might thus use our support to justify an unyielding position which would prevent final agreement which cannot be reached without mutual concession.
Nothing would be more dangerous than for the French to feel that they have our unqualified support for any amendments they may wish to offer directed against Germany.
With the present world situation and apprehension as to Germany’s attitude there is little prospect that France would disarm enough to satisfy Germany unless some alleviation of present limitations either in types or quantities is given Germany.
In this connection the French press reports today that instructions have been sent to me to oppose rearmament and specifically to oppose the construction of any sample types of artillery, tanks, military aircraft or submarines.
- Jay Pierrepont Moffat, Chief, Division of Western European Affairs.↩