500.A15A4 General Committee/952: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation ( Davis ) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 5—1:33 a.m.]
870. The proposed resolution mentioned in my telegram 868, June 4, 10 p.m. reads as follows: [Page 101]
“The General Commission, having in mind ‘the considerable material for the first convention for the reduction and limitation of armaments which was the fruit of two years labor’, as the President of the Conference recently stated:
Having in mind the joint declaration of June 1st of the Danish, Spanish, Netherlands, Norwegian, Swedish and Swiss delegations,99 the draft resolution submitted by the delegation of the Turkish Republic on that date, and the views presented by the delegation of the USSR;
Having in mind the desirability of reconciling the positions taken as well as the necessity for immediate consideration of questions of an immediate and substantial character both with regard to essentials respecting the reduction and limitation of armaments and the allied subject of security;
Having in mind that a comparison of the note of the French Government of January 1, 1934, the memorandum of the Italian Government of January 4, 1934, the memorandum of the British Government of January 29, 1934, and the memorandum of the German Government of April 16, 1934, reveals an approximation of views which affords hope of eventual agreement, decides:
To request the Bureau of the Conference:
- 1.
- To take immediately the four documents of January 1st, January 4th, January 29th, and April 16, 1934, mentioned above, in order to seek, by any means it may deem appropriate and with the cooperation of such other power or powers as the Bureau may find necessary or useful to invite to participate in its work, the reconciliation of those divergences which still exist.
- 2.
- To appoint a special committee to examine without delay the problems incident to the loyal observance of a general disarmament convention. It is understood that those states specially interested in regional agreements based on the principles of the pact of Locarno or of the Balkan Pact, may concurrently conclude such agreements as they may consider best calculated to give a feeling of security which may facilitate the conclusion of the disarmament convention.
- 3.
- To authorize the President of the Conference to reconvene the General Commission of the Conference as soon as the work indicated has reached the state where it is ready for presentation to the General Commission, but in the event that there is not appreciable and satisfactory progress in the work outlined within a reasonable time, to instruct the President to call the General Commission together to determine what the future course of the Conference shall be.”
- Minutes of the General Commission, vol. iii, p. 676.↩