500.A15A5 Construction/129
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Moffat) to the Secretary of State
[Washington,] March 5, 1938.
Mr. Secretary: I telephoned Norman Davis this morning and told him a little of your talk yesterday. He approved the general approach of the draft telegram12 we had prepared in Eu13 and brought out the following additional points to which he asked that you give careful consideration:
- (1)
- It would be a sorry contribution we had to make to European appeasement if we were responsible for breaking down all forms of qualitative limitation, and thus freeing German-Russian building from present restrictions.
- (2)
- As the Navy is building as fast as it can at the moment the question of regaining a theoretical freedom is no longer a technical matter to be decided by naval officers, but becomes a matter of high policy where the civilian branch must remain supreme.
- (3)
- The three naval officers whom he considers the most able, namely, Pratt, Hepburn and Stanley, all concur with him that qualitative limitation should be preserved.
- (4)
- Even if we wish to escalate, there is no need to do so at this time; we can always do it if and when we want to, but to come out before the others and carry the entire onus, not for practical reasons but for purely theoretical reasons, seems to him the bankruptcy of statesmanship.
Pierrepont Moffat