500.C1/139: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Everett) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 24—8:28 a.m.]
23. Charron of League Secretariat has informed me as follows with regard to the Central Committee:
At the Hague meeting of the Organizing Committee, Colijn7 was co-opted by the Committee in his personal capacity, was then chosen Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and was charged with the task of taking preliminary steps toward selecting 8 states (in addition to the 10 on the Organizing Committee) and 3 or 4 persons of special competence (in addition to himself) to comprise the Central Committee. Six state memberships and 3 or 4 personal memberships on the Committee will be left vacant for the time being thereby providing opportunity in the future for the inclusion of states and individuals not now likely or in a position to accept membership. Among those chosen for special competence will probably be a representative of labor and a representative of employers. Date of first meeting of Central Committee is tentatively set for June and Colijn in consultation with the Secretariat will prepare plans for that meeting.
Charron indicated that the Hague meeting accomplished little of a concrete character other than as set forth in the preceding paragraph. The programme of economic and social work to be undertaken under the direction of the Central Committee is still in a formative stage and he indicated that much depended upon the future attitude [Page 315] of governments in determining the character and scope of the Committee’s work and mentioned particularly the British and the French Governments which, up to the present, have been reserved in their approach to the problem.
- Hendrikus Colijn, ex-Prime Minister of the Netherlands.↩