793.94 Advisory Committee/144: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Bucknell) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 31—7:50 p.m.]
31. My 27, January 31, 1 p.m. I saw Cranborne immediately after the Council meeting this afternoon and he referred to a reported statement that the Secretary had given to the press regarding the American attitude toward furnishing arms and munitions to China alone. I told him that I had no knowledge of such statement. He said that he hoped that the Chinese would now adopt the amended resolution and that he would let me know as soon as any decision was arrived at.
Stevenson has just telephoned and informed me that at the meeting this afternoon the four interested powers had after wrangling for 2 hours agreed to a resolution. The first two paragraphs are the same as reported in my No. 18, January 28, 9 p.m. The third paragraph has been changed to read as follows:
“Deplores the deterioration of the situation the more in view of the efforts and achievements of the National Government of China in her political and economic reconstruction”.
The fourth paragraph remains the same. A new fifth paragraph reads:
“Calls the most serious attention of the members of the League to the terms of the above-mentioned resolution”.
The last paragraph remains practically the same except that the word “feasibility” has been inserted in the place of “possibility” in the last sentence.
Stevenson described the change in the third paragraph as a little bouquet for the Chinese but said that the changes agreed upon made no difference whatever in substance. The resolution is being circulated confidentially tonight and will be considered by the Council at its meeting tomorrow afternoon.
Repeated to London, Paris. Cipher text to Rome, Berlin by mail.