740.0011 Mutual Guarantee (Eastern Locarno)/2: Telegram

The Chairman of the American Delegation to the General Disarmament Conference ( Davis ) to the Secretary of State

876. Barthou1 tells me that he and Litvinoff2 have reached preliminary agreement and reduced to writing certain aspects of an “Eastern Locarno”, that Barthou has discussed this with Beck3 who was non-committal in his attitude and will seek instructions, that Litvinoff is shortly going through Berlin and proposed to apprise the Germans of what was going on. Barthou requested permission to do it himself and is this afternoon cabling details to François-Poncet4 together with the assurance that the earnest desire of both Governments is to have Germany adhere to this Eastern Locarno.

From French sources it is reported that the larger plan is that France will recognize German rearmament as a further inducement to Germany to enter the Eastern Locarno and then return to the Conference5 and the League of Nations on an equal footing and with equality of rights thus recognized.

Davis
  1. Jean Louis Barthou, French Minister for Foreign Affairs.
  2. Maxim Litvinov, Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
  3. Josef Beck, Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs.
  4. André François-Poncet, French Ambassador in Germany.
  5. General Disarmament Conference; for correspondence, see pp. 1 ff.