500.A15A/252: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis)
22. Your 32, November 13, 10 p.m., paragraph 6. In any procedure that may be eventually discussed with you as to terminating the present conversations, we feel that while it is important on the one hand to preserve the form at least of a mere suspension of conversations, it is equally important on the other hand not to bind ourselves to a resumption at a definite date irrespective of future developments. This might be accomplished by a formula to the effect that if at a later date any one of the three Powers should feel that it had new proposals to offer which stood a chance of acceptance, it should at once convoke a meeting of the other Powers to continue the discussions. This procedure, if adopted, would modify by implication the existing obligation of all contracting parties, under the treaties, to hold a conference regardless of circumstances. It would place the responsibility for convoking a conference upon whatever Power felt that a conference, considering proposals which that Power had to offer, stood a chance of acceptance. At the same time in case Matsudaira’s prediction should be realized that once Japan had denounced the treaty it might have a calming effect in Japan, it might enable us to meet later under more auspicious conditions. For the moment, however, we feel that any initiative regarding a next move or the suspension of negotiations should be left to the British or Japanese.