793.94 Advisory Committee/1: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 24—3:58 p.m.]
60. Consulate’s 58, February 24, 5 p.m.
Paragraph “10”.
The following procedures occurred in the meeting of the Special Assembly this afternoon:
1. Koo spoke on the situation in Jehol stressing its extreme seriousness. He called on the Assembly for prompt action and pledged that the Covenant provided for sanctions to meet just such a situation as now prevails in the Far East.
2. A resolution was unanimously adopted of which the following is the complete text:
“Whereas, in virtue of article 3, paragraph 3 of the Covenant, the Assembly may deal at its meetings with any matter affecting the peace of the world, and therefore cannot regard with indifference the development of the Sino-Japanese dispute;
And whereas, according to part IV, section III, of the report adopted by the Assembly in virtue of article 15, paragraph 4, the members of the League ‘intend to abstain from taking any isolated action with regard to the situation in Manchuria and to continue to concert their action among themselves as well as with the interested states not members of the League’ and, ‘in order to facilitate as far [Page 209] as possible the establishment in the Far East of a situation in conformity with the recommendations of the present report, the Secretary General is instructed to communicate a copy of this report to the states nonmembers of the League who are signatories of or have acceded to the Pact of Paris or of the Nine-Power Treaty informing them of the Assembly’s hope that they will associate themselves with the views expressed in the report, and that they will if necessary concert their action and their attitude with the members of the League;’
The Assembly decides to appoint an advisory committee to follow the situation, to assist the Assembly in performing its duties under article 3, paragraph 3, and, with the same objects, to aid the members of the League in concerting their action and their attitude among themselves and with the nonmember states.
The Committee will consist of the members of the Committee of Nineteen and the representatives of Canada and the Netherlands.
The Committee will invite the Governments of the United States of America and the U.S.S.R. to cooperate in its work.
It shall report and make proposals to the Assembly whenever it thinks fit. It shall also communicate its reports to the Governments of the states nonmembers of the League which are cooperating in its work.
The Assembly shall remain in session and its President, after consulting the Committee, may convene it whenever he thinks fit.”