500.A15A5 Construction/163
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Lindsay)
Excellency: I acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s Aide-mémoire, dated April 22, 1938, with regard to the necessity of placing new limits at an early date on the size and armament of capital ships of sub-category (a) to take the place of the old limits provided in the London Naval Treaty, 1936, from which the Governments Parties to the Treaty departed on April 1, 1938, under Article 25 of the Treaty.
I take pleasure in informing you that the American Ambassador at London has been instructed to inform Your Excellency’s Government and the French Government that a decision has been reached by this Government that, despite the many factors of uncertainty in the international naval situation, new upper limits of size and armament should if possible be fixed on capital ships of sub-category (a). The details of this Government’s decision have been conveyed to Mr. Kennedy, who will be prepared to resume, in behalf of this Government, the conversations with the representatives of the other Governments Parties to the Naval Treaty under Article 25, paragraph 3, of the Treaty.
With regard to the final paragraph of Your Excellency’s Aide-mémoire, in which it is suggested that a fully accredited naval expert might be sent to London for the period of the discussions under Article 25, paragraph 3, this Government regrets that it will not be practicable to assign a special naval expert for this purpose.
Accept [etc.]