793.94 Advisory Committee/23: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:45 p.m.]
150. Your 86, March 11, 8 p.m.67 As the Committee of Twenty-One was convened for today to deal in the first instance with our reply and that of the Soviet Government to the invitation to cooperate, Drummond asked me to wait in his office until the Committee had acted in the matter. Shortly after the meeting convened this afternoon Drummond brought to me the following acknowledgment of your reply and asked me to join in the deliberations of the Committee, which I did:
“I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the communication of the 11th March which you were good enough to send me by the intermediary of the Minister of the United States in Switzerland.
The Advisory Committee, in the meeting held today, took note of this communication. The Committee directed me to express to you its sincere thanks and is happy to invite Mr. Hugh R. Wilson to take part in its deliberations under the conditions which you have set forth.”
The Chairman of the Committee Mr. Leip [Lange?] of Norway welcomed the presence of an American representative in a courteous speech to which I replied appropriately.
Madariaga then suggested the appointment of a subcommittee to study the duties, rights and possibilities regarding the supply of arms to the countries concerned. This suggestion was generally supported with the idea that the subcommittee should be of those countries interested in the export of arms. Eden finally proposed a formula which he had suggested sometime ago as a mandate for the subcommittee namely “to examine problems of the export of arms in relation to the present situation in the Par East.” It was decided to create a subcommittee with such a mandate. The members of the subcommittee were the principal exporting countries and several other states in addition. The American representative was asked to participate in the subcommittee in the general terms of our participation in the Advisory Committee.
Lester then proposed a further subcommittee with respect to the question of nonrecognition, et cetera.
A discussion took place with regard to immediate questions, namely, adherence by the so-called Manchukuo to certain international services such as the Postal Union, Telegraph Union, et cetera.
It appeared from Motta’s remarks that Manchukuo had requested [Page 239] such membership of the Swiss Federal Council which had replied that it could not decide this since it was a question the [for?] organs of the various unions to determine.
A suggestion was made by Madariaga to circulate a request to all the states that they should concert their action. Massigli and others objected as superfluous to a circular of this sort or any present reminder to the various Governments with regard to their duties in the premises. It was finally decided to constitute a subcommittee to follow questions arising from the policy of nonrecognition. Our participation in this subcommittee was arranged in similar fashion to subcommittee on the arms question.
It was suggested by Drummond and agreed to unanimously that a brief summary of the meetings of the Advisory Committee should be written up at each meeting and despatched to all the Governments, this resume not to mention the names of any speakers or particular sentiments they might grasp of the subject.