500.A15A5/676: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis)
44. In view of Rome’s 62, February 22, 8 p.m.,59 which in Section 2 reports the Italian Under Secretary of State as indicating doubt as to whether Italy will sign naval treaty and in view of the uncertainty as to whether the French Government will engage itself now to sign a naval treaty to which the Germans might be cosignatories, there is a possibility of our being put in an anomalous position by having to wait in London for the initialing or signing of a treaty or agreements until certain political conditions in Europe are settled to the satisfaction of some of the governments participating in the Conference. We would not want to be at all precipitous in judging this situation from here, but we would like your comment on the advisability of perhaps arranging, in the event the Conference cannot terminate its labors within a short time, to indicate in a friendly way to the Chairman of the Conference that in order not to lose any of the support we now have in this country for the objectives of the Conference, it would be best for our Delegation to indicate the general extent and form which we would be willing to accept with regard to the naval agreements before the Conference, and our willingness to authorize an initialing or signing of such agreements at any future date agreeable to the members of the Conference. We are putting forward this suggestion merely for your comment and advice at this time.
- Not printed; see telegram No. 103, February 21, 6 p.m., from the Chairman of the American delegation, supra. ↩