500.A15A5/640: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 30—4:04 p.m.]
77. Personal and confidential for Phillips.44 After my telephone conversation with you yesterday I gained the impression that there [Page 52] was no difficulty about the cruiser proposals and expected that our cable of instructions would approve. My interpretation, however, of your January 29, 7 p.m., is that it neither approves nor disapproves of the cruiser proposals recommended by us. I hope that my 76, January 30, 6 p.m., will clear up the situation satisfactorily and will meet with the full concurrence of the President, the Department and the Navy. If, however, there is not concurrence in any particular please advise as soon as possible for we have reached the stage where we must either proceed with formulating agreement or try to back off from an agreement which in my opinion would vary only slightly in essence from what we have been discussing with the British since last September to which I consider that with an adequate escape clause we are in a way committed.
As you are aware we were specifically authorized to negotiate a qualitative agreement and the British have repeatedly stated since the beginning of negotiations last September that a quantitative agreement with the possible but improbable exception of building programs seemed most unlikely.
Furthermore it seems clear to me that although a quantitative reduction and limitation would be more desirable a qualitative limitation would have definite advantages for us and be decidedly better than no agreement.
- William Phillips, Under Secretary of State.↩