711.00 Statement July 16, 1937/237
Memorandum by the Chargé in Latvia (Packer)77
Mr. Munters78 said that he had asked me to come today in order to make a more complete reply to Mr. Lane’s79 aide-mémoire regarding Mr. Hull’s statement. He said that the Latvian Government took [Page 745] Mr. Hull’s statement very seriously and wished to give it very careful consideration before making a full reply. He said that he would give me a paper containing the Latvian comments which was not, however, a memorandum or a pro memoria but merely something in writing for my convenience to avoid the necessity of my remembering all that he would say. He then read and later handed to me the attached paper.79a
He said that he had two more points which he wished to mention in connection with this statement. The first, he said, was the fact that Latvia is a signatory of the Kellogg Pact obligating governments to refrain from the use of force as an instrument of policy and that the Latvian Government considers itself bound by the principles of this pact. The second point, he said, was a request which he wished to make, namely, that he be furnished with copies of the statements made by other Governments with respect to Mr. Hull’s statement; he added that he would greatly appreciate receiving them. He said that he had no doubt various Governments would comment favorably upon the Secretary of State’s statement and that he would be particularly interested in seeing the comments which the German, Italian and Russian Governments made. He stated further that obviously England and France and the small states subscribe to the principles featured in Secretary Hull’s statement.
I told Mr. Munters that I felt sure the Secretary of State would be most interested in receiving the comments of the Latvian Government and that I would forward to the Department the text of the statement he had handed me and inform it of his oral statement concerning the Kellogg Pact and of his desire to receive the comments of other Governments.