500.C1/133: Telegram
The Consul General at Geneva ( Tittmann ) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 18—3 p.m.]
6. Consulate’s despatch No. 43, Political, dated December 28, 1939.4 I have just been informed that at the instance of Hambro, President of the Assembly, the Secretariat of the League sent out notices last night by telegram to the states members of the Organizing Committee on Economic and Social Questions to the effect that with their approval the Organizing Committee would meet at The Hague on February 7 next. The Organizing Committee is composed of the representatives of the following 10 states: Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and Argentina, and forms the nucleus of the Central Committee. Although it was at first contemplated that the meeting would be held in Geneva, Hambro felt that since the Supervisory Commission of the League was going to meet at The Hague anyway on February 9 it would be generally more convenient for both meetings to take place there.
Charron5 who is handling Central Committee matters at the Secretariat informs me that the following is the tentative agenda for the Organizing Committee: (1) selection of the 14 other members to compose the Central Committee and 8 unofficial members; (2) establishment of rules of procedure to be followed by the Central Committee; (3) draft of a plan of work for the Central Committee.
I have been approached on several occasions (by Charron himself today) as to whether I could not find it possible to be in The Hague at the time of the meetings of the Organizing Committee which are expected to last 2 or 3 days. It is apparently the desire of the Secretariat to have some one from this Consulate who is familiar with the League and the Bruce Report to report to the Department on the proceedings. I have been discouraging in my replies.