500.A15A3/1859: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham)
Washington, December
29, 1936—2 p.m.
458. Your 624, December 24, 11 a.m. You are requested to present the following note to the British Government:
- 1.
- The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the receipt of the note, dated December 23, 1936, from His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom,45 stating that His Majesty’s Government considers that the requirements of national security necessitate the retention of five cruisers of sub-category (b) of the “C” class over and above the total tonnage which may be retained by the British Commonwealth of Nations on December 31, 1936, under the provisions of the London Naval Treaty, 1930.
- 2.
- This Government notes that the British Government undertakes that (a) the five vessels shall be retained for a maximum of 5 years’ peace service and (b) they will be used not as cruisers but as antiaircraft ships, which will involve the substitution of a lighter armament for the existing 6 inch gun armament.
- 3.
- In view of the decision of the British Government to invoke Article 21, this Government will exercise the right to increase by a proportionate amount its tonnage in the cruiser category over and above the total tonnage which is not to be exceeded in the cruiser category on December 31, 1936, under the provisions of the London Naval Treaty, 1930.
For your strictly confidential information, we cannot, of course, immediately increase our cruiser tonnage but in the event that it is decided to build more cruisers the existence of our right to increase in this category must be on record before December 31, 1936, in order that the terms of the Vinson Bill46 may be operative.
Moore