561.35E1/19: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 6—11:30 a.m.]
28. 1. Consulate’s 26, January 31, 11 a.m.8 Stoppani having in-informed McNaught [MacDonald?] and Colijn9 of American position they agree to the holding of a conference within what they understand to be the scope of that position.
2. Formal invitation dated February 6 addressed to the Secretary of State signed by Avenol as Secretary General of the Monetary and Economic Conference is being forwarded through the American Legation at Bern. The text is as follows:
“In my capacity as Secretary General of the Monetary and Economic Conference and at the request of Monsieur Colijn, president of the Economic Commission, acting in agreement with the president [Page 669] of the Conference, I have the honor to invite your Government to send a representative to preparatory meeting to consider the problem of coordinating the production and marketing of sugar. This meeting will be held in London on March 5th next. The hour and place will be communicated to you later.
The following countries are invited to take part: Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Cuba, United States of America, Hungary, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia. In addition the honorary president10 and the president of the International Sugar Council11 are being requested to attend in an advisory capacity.
The object of the meeting is to resume the examination of the sugar question on the lines on which it was begun at the London Conference by the subcommittee for the coordination of production and marketing and to ascertain whether the convening of a subsequent meeting of a wider scope, to which the principal importing and exporting countries concerned would be invited, might facilitate the conclusion of a general agreement for insuring a better organization of the production and marketing of sugar.
I should be obliged if you would inform me as soon as possible of the name of the delegate who will be appointed to take part in this meeting.”
3. In view of the genesis of this project Secretariat officials believe that all invited governments will accept.