793.94 Commission/802
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck) of a Conversation With the Chinese Appointed Minister (Sze)
Dr. Sze said that he wished to inform me of a confidential conversation between Dr. Koo37 and the French Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs. In that conversation, Mr. Cot said that it now seems that the project for conciliation will not succeed and France is prepared to go to Paragraph 4, Article XV of the Covenant38 if the French Foreign Office believes that Sir John Simon will now no longer insist, on continuing along lines of conciliation. If any action is decided; upon it would be helpful if all the powers would join in. He was uncertain as to the attitude of Washington.
Dr. Koo replied that he understood that the Washington Government has made it clear that it feels that the League itself should first decide upon action and, when the League has decided, the United States will in all probability give support.
- V. K. Wellington Koo, Chinese Minister to France; representative, League of Nations Council.↩
- Paragraph 4 reads as follows: “If the dispute is not thus settled, the Council either unanimously or by a majority vote shall make and publish a report containing a statement of the facts of the dispute and the recommendations which are deemed just and proper in regard thereto.” Treaties, Conventions, etc., 1910–1923, vol. iii, p. 3340.↩