Office of the Historian

500.A15A5/697: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis)64

Washington, February 28, 1936—8 p.m.

51. We suggest for your consideration the obtaining of a gentleman’s agreement as between Great Britain, France, Italy and ourselves, [Page 79] and through England from Germany, whereby each nation would agree to notify the others of every decision to lay down naval vessels of any size over 100 tons. These four or five powers could, if such a gentleman’s agreement were obtained, then jointly or severally invite Japan to do the same thing.

Hull
  1. This instruction embodied the substance of a memorandum of February 28, 1936, from President Roosevelt to the Under Secretary of State.↩