500.A15A5/729: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis)
84. With reference to the proposed exchange of letters, after further consideration here it is suggested that the substance of the exchange might be contained in a conversation between you and Admiral Standley and the Chief of the British Delegation, of which both delegations would afterward make a memorandum record. In this way there would be no documents to be withheld from publication and, therefore, no embarrassment in connection with the subject matter.
For your own information, there have already been intimations in the American press that there was some sort of secret understanding between the British and American delegations as to the cooperation of our two navies, a report which has already been denied by the Department.