893.113/1459
The Department of State to the British Embassy56
President Hoover on January 10 sent a message to Congress57 recommending that legislation be passed empowering the Executive in his discretion, after consultation with such other nations as he might deem necessary, to impose an embargo on the export of arms and munitions of war to any nation or nations which he might designate in case there was reason to believe that such articles exported from the United States would be used in international conflict.
A resolution carrying out the President’s recommendation was unanimously reported to the Senate by the Committee on Foreign Relations. It was unanimously passed by the Senate on January 19. Shortly thereafter a motion was made to reconsider this resolution and no action was taken on this motion to reconsider before the adjournment of the Senate.
A similar resolution in which the authority conferred upon the Executive was limited to American countries was reported out of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs but no action was taken upon this resolution in the House before the adjournment of Congress.
Unless and until such legislation is passed by the Congress the Executive has no authority to impose embargoes on the export of arms and munitions which might be used in international conflict but it is the purpose of this administration to press for the passage of such legislation. It would therefore appear to be premature for this Government to decide upon the policy which it might eventually [Page 232] adhere to in case the Executive were given the appropriate authority. If and when such authority is conferred upon the Executive, this Government will be glad, pursuant to the policy which it has followed in relations to the Far Eastern situation, to exchange with other interested governments views relating to the policy in regard to arms embargoes which might be likely best to meet the requirements of the situation as it then exists.
The Administration is at present giving careful consideration to this question and would be pleased to receive indication of the attitude and probable intention of the League of Nations and/or of the governments members thereof.
In the interval, in all frankness this Government does not perceive that any useful purpose is to be served by the imposing of an embargo on export of arms to China and Japan in and under the circumstances which now prevail in the relations of those countries to each other and to the world at large. Certainly the whole question of the effects of any embargo should be considered carefully in all its aspects before making any final decision.