Office of the Historian

500.A15A5 Construction/139: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy)17

Washington, March 24, 1938—4 p.m.

123. Your 233, March 22, 5 p.m.

1.
We are in agreement with the British that the notes of intention to escalate should be similar and simultaneous but not identic.
2.
We, therefore, propose to send our note, at a time which will be agreed upon, to the British and French Ambassadors and the Canadian Minister at Washington and to the British Ambassador for transmission to Australia, New Zealand and India.
3.
Our note will be as follows:

“With reference to Article 25 of the Naval Treaty signed in London on March 25, 1936, I have the honor to notify Your Excellency, in accordance with paragraph (2) of that Article, that the Government of the United States of America finds it necessary to exercise the right of escalation reserved in paragraph (1) and of effecting a departure from the limitations and restrictions of the Treaty.

The proposed departure relates to the upper limits of capital ships of sub-category (a) and to the calibre of guns which may be mounted on capital ships of sub-category (a).

The above action is motivated by the fact that upon the receipt of reports to the effect that Japan is constructing or has authorized the construction of capital ships of a tonnage and armament not in conformity with the limitations and restrictions of the Treaty, the Government of the United States addressed an inquiry to the Japanese Government and the Japanese Government did not choose to furnish information with regard to its present naval construction or its plans for future construction.”

4.
We agree that the notes should be released for simultaneous publication immediately after they are delivered for transmission to the Governments signatories of the Naval Treaty.
5.
We are willing to participate in discussions under Paragraph 3 of Article 25 during the 3-months period therein provided, with a view [Page 906] to determining what upper limits, if any, may not be exceeded with regard to capital ships of sub-category (a) and the guns which may be mounted on capital ships of sub-category (a).
Hull
  1. This telegram was initialed by Norman H. Davis and by Admiral W. D. Leahy, Chief of Naval Operations, in addition to Department of State officials.↩