500.A15A5 Construction/155
The French Minister for Foreign Affairs (Paul-Boncour) to the American Ambassador in France (Bullitt)20
Mr. Ambassador: I have the honor to inform you that the Government of the French Republic has examined with the greatest care the communication in which the Government of the United States of [Page 907] America was good enough, under date of March 31, to give notification of its intention to free itself from the maximum limitations which the London Naval Treaty of 1936 had set for capital ships of subcategory A.
The Government of the Republic has taken note of the reasons which have brought the American Government to this grave decision. Being anxious to limit as far as possible the bearing and eventual consequences of this first departure from the treaty, the French Government is desirous that an agreement may be reached at a very early date between all the powers which have heretofore conformed, as regards their naval construction, to the limitations at present in force.
Without awaiting the beginning of the consultations which are necessary to attain this result, the French Government wishes to declare that, in spite of the departures to which the American and British Governments are going to have recourse, and as long as no continental European power for its part deviates therefrom, it will continue, as far as it is concerned, to respect with regard to its naval construction the qualitative limitations fixed by the Treaty of London.
Accept [etc.]