793.94/10005: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Bucknell) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 9—5:53 p.m.]
272. Consulate’s 262, August 30, 9 p.m. and Department’s telegram 133, September 3, 5 p.m.21 Hoo informed me today that China had now definitely decided to make an appeal to the Assembly but was still undecided regarding the best procedure to adopt.22 He explained [Page 15] that a decision as to whether China would request the convocation of the Advisory Committee would in his view depend largely upon whether or not the United States would be willing to be represented on the Committee as heretofore. If so, the Advisory Committee would probably be utilized. In the event that Chinese insistence upon employing the Advisory Committee might serve to prejudice American policy toward the Sino-Japanese dispute, or should we be unwilling to be represented thereon, a new appeal would probably be made under a new article, probably article 17, thus initiating a fresh procedure.
He stated that he had urged his Government to ascertain the views of the United States regarding the Advisory Committee before making a final decision in the matter but that he had not yet received any instructions.
Hoo went on to say that he was doubtful whether anything concrete could be accomplished by an appeal to the present Assembly but he believed that since the present dispute would extend over a long period an immediate appeal should be made and that even if no results were obtained at this Assembly, changing conditions or events might make this action ultimately worth while possibly in the shape of sanctions to the extent of obtaining munitions and credits for China while withholding them from Japan.