500.A15A5/497: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham)
277. Your 478, September 27, 5 p.m. The points upon which you requested instructions are under consideration and while we will be able shortly to give you the results of the studies being made by the Navy Department, we believe it would be preferable to await your report on your further conversations when the balance of the items to be covered in this preliminary exchange as outlined in our 261, September 19, 6 p.m. will have been dealt with.
Referring to your statement that the British were reminded that this Government was prepared to accept a reduction as much as 20 percent in the “tonnage by categories”, we feel that the proposal of the President for a practical reduction of 20 percent of total tonnage is not a subject for discussion at the present purely technical stage. At this stage we would prefer to have you only bring up matters connected with the technical points contained in our 261, while of course you will listen to and report anything that the British may desire to bring up.
We note your report of an American suggestion for the limiting of the number of allowed 14-inch guns per capital ship to say twelve. In this connection see paragraph (b) clause (2). Was a limit of nine 14-inch guns discussed?
[Page 120]While we do not wish you to go into any further development of the capital ship question at the moment and would prefer to have you proceed to the other points to be discussed, we feel that you should know that you are under some misapprehension with regard to the Navy’s views with respect to the possible new experimental battleships. Our observations on your first conversation will clear up our views in this regard.