893.113/577a

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Brazil ( Morgan )45

Sir: On October 3, 1922, as a result of discussion in the Diplomatic Body at Peking on the subject of the modification of the terms of the existing embargo on the shipment of arms and munitions of war to China, the members of that Body, with one or two exceptions, forwarded certain identic recommendations for the consideration of their respective governments. These recommendations were to the effect that the Powers represented at Peking should adopt as a formula the amended draft resolution proposed at the Washington Conference, a copy of which is enclosed herewith,46 together with the following interpretative note:

“This is understood to include aircraft other than commercial aircraft and machinery and materials destined exclusively for the manufacture of arms or the equipment of arsenals.”

The Department is instructing the American Minister at Peking of its approval of the terms of this embargo and the interpretative note, and of its readiness to give formal assent thereto provided that substantial unanimity of action can be had among the several governments represented at Peking. This Government has been informed that the British Government has made representations to the [Page 615] Government to which you are accredited with a view to obtaining its approval of the formula under consideration. You are instructed to inform the Foreign Office of the fact that this Government has now signified its approval of the terms of the embargo and that it desires to express the hope that, in view of the importance of unanimity upon this question, the Brazilian Government will see its way to instruct its representative at Peking in a similar sense, i. e., of its approval of the terms of the embargo and the interpretative note, and its readiness to give its formal assent thereto upon there being substantial unanimity of action among the Powers represented at Peking.

I am [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
William Phillips
  1. The same, mutatis mutandis, to the diplomatic representatives in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
  2. Ante, p. 608.