500.A15A4/2593: Telegram

The Adviser to the American Delegation to the General Disarmament Conference (Mayer) to the Secretary of State

938. Department’s 170, October 15, 2 p.m., and previous correspondence regarding a treaty of limited objectives. Aghnides80 [Page 167] showed me recently a memorandum to Avenol81 analyzing present situation of the Conference and giving his carefully considered views as to future action. Briefly, Aghnides believes effort toward a treaty of limited objectives is undesirable and impracticable; that it would fail for the same reason that the Conference has thus far been unsuccessful, namely: German demands for equal rights. Instead of trying for such a treaty, Aghnides would prefer a policy of limiting negotiation in the Conference to certain objectives. Instead of trying to agree upon, and incorporate, certain items in a single treaty of limited objectives, Aghnides would have the Conference limit its activities to arriving at three protocols dealing with a Permanent Disarmament Commission, manufacture of and trade in arms, and budgetary publicity; these protocols to be written by committees of the Conference sitting simultaneously. When these three protocols are signed Aghnides would have the Permanent Disarmament Commission established at once (Aghnides’ original idea was that negotiation for the establishment of a Permanent Disarmament Commission would take precedence in order to satisfy the Russians and prevent their forcing reference of the whole Disarmament Conference to the Council), see our 936, October 4, 10 p.m.

Aghnides has just discussed his memorandum with Avenol and Walters (English Under Secretary General), both of whom he tells me are in general agreement with his ideas except that Avenol would limit the duties of the Permanent Disarmament Conference [Commission?] to those of supervision, control and consultation, (Aghnides originally proposed to give the Permanent Disarmament Commission rather broad powers, in effect concentrating the Conference in the Commission).

Aghnides expects to redraft his memorandum along the lines indicated and take it to London for discussion with Henderson the latter part of the month.

This telegram is sent after cooperation Wilson.

The extraordinary meeting of the Assembly has been set for November 20th with the extraordinary meeting of the Council to be approximately at the same time. The thought appears to be taking shape that there should be a meeting of the Bureau of the Conference at that time and a decision taken with regard to the future of the Conference.

Please see my letter to Moffat of October 17th82 mailed on Berengaria October 18th.

Repeated to London for Davis.

Mayer
  1. Thanassis Aghnides, Director, Disarmament Section, League of Nations.
  2. Joseph Avenol, Secretary General of the League of Nations.
  3. Not found in Department files.