500.A15A5/138: Telegram
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Bingham) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 10—1:55 p.m.]
396. Foreign Office informed me today that Anglo-French conversations in London from the British point of view had in the main proceeded very satisfactorily. Naturally no mention was made to me of alleged proposals for cooperation between the French and British general staffs but I was advised that Barthou had discussed the general European situation and particularly outlined his views on an Eastern Locarno.18
In the naval conversations the technical difference of opinion between the French and British, as in the past, had been found to be very small. The French were very much occupied with the German situation and concurrently with the German-Italian situation, but Piétri19 had informed the British that France was satisfied with the present ratio of French-German-Italian naval strength. British understand this means inclusion of French over-age ships but will endeavor to explore in conversations tomorrow exactly what the French statement means. Piétri had no definite reactions as to the place and time of the forthcoming Naval Conference. The French would prefer a conference of all naval powers rather than only limited to the five powers of the London Naval Treaty, but Foreign Office may be convinced this objection of Piétri’s could be overcome if the scheduled discussions for next year could be referred to as a “meeting” of the five powers of the London Naval Treaty to determine the extent of accord between these naval powers preliminary to any decision as to summoning a larger naval conference. Foreign Office felt that French views were far less pro-Russian than recently.