793.94/10215: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Harrison) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:50 a.m.]
6. Reference my No. 3, September 22, noon.49 Saw Cranborne last evening. He explained he had been delayed in reaching Eden and had had to see Delbos. He reiterated Eden’s desire to cooperate fully with you and to do nothing to cause us embarrassment. Consequently they had decided to propose at the next meeting of the Advisory Committee that a subcommittee be set up composed only of the representatives of states directly interested in the Far East. The Committee he felt was too large for effective discussion and had many members with no direct interest. He hoped that you would be willing to be represented on the subcommittee, he presumed, he said, within the terms and on the conditions set forth in my communication of September 21. Eden he added thought that this procedure rather than the suggested separate Pacific conference would be the most agreeable to you. Cranborne therefore asked me to ascertain your views and also suggested that I get in touch with Delbos or Massigli50 who had a message for me.
Later I saw Massigli who stated that it had been decided to propose the creation of the subcommittee, that the idea of a Pacific Nyon has been discarded at least for the time being, and that the matter would not be presented to you through the French and British Embassies at Washington.
[Page 30]The membership of proposed subcommittee would presumably consist of Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, the United States, France, New Zealand, Holland, Portugal, Russia, and Italy, if she takes her seat on the Committee, as well as the states invited to participate reported in paragraph 2 of my telegram of September 21, 8 p.m. I asked Cranborne if he knew whether Germany would accept the invitation. He said he did not know but added that the German press had reacted favorably and he hoped Germany would accept. He did not expect Japan to accept.
When I asked him what he thought the subcommittee could accomplish, Cranborne mentioned possible pressure for peace by joint appeal to both parties, also possibility that the time might come when Japan would welcome some form of mediation of which subcommittee might take advantage.
Please instruct.