500.A15 a 1/371: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:52 p.m.]
60. At a meeting of the technical committee this morning the Japanese delegation announced that they had received instructions authorizing them to withdraw their proposal that submarines of less than 700 tons be exempt from limitation but would request special consideration for allocation of submarine tonnage.
[Page 71]Upon reopening the question of cruisers and upon request of British delegation, Admiral Jones read the following statement as the American suggestion of a method of eventually reconciling the British proposal based on numbers with the American proposal based on total tonnage:
“The position of the United States delegation is that we cannot discuss cruiser tonnages in excess of 400,000 tons for the period ending December 31st, 1936.
That during that period we would require full liberty of action to build 10,000-ton cruisers up to a total of 250,000 tons, recognizing at the same time the full rights of other powers to build cruisers of similar characteristics up to tonnages in accordance with the principles of the Washington treaty.
That we have no intention or desire to replace the ten cruisers of the Omaha class carrying 6-inch guns during the period, except in the case of loss of one or more of those units.
That, in an effort to meet the British viewpoint regarding a limitation in the number of large cruisers, we are willing for this period and without prejudice to future action to limit our further construction without a total tonnage limitation of 400,000 to vessels of a smaller tonnage to be agreed upon.
We do not see any reason for limiting the caliber of guns at [in the?] smaller class of cruisers to anything different from that in the larger class.
We believe that each power should have full liberty at design and armament of a smaller class of cruisers should such a class be adopted for the period in question.
This statement of American policy should be construed as our maximum effort to meet the British viewpoint.
We greatly prefer that within a total tonnage limitation and within the characteristic cruisers provided for in the Washington treaty that each power enjoy full liberty of action.
We invite attention to the fact that our original proposal was for a total tonnage limitation in the cruiser class of between 250,000 and 300,000 tons. We still ardently desire that the total tonnage limitation of cruisers to be agreed upon shall be very much lower than 400,000 tons as we believe that an agreement on such a figure would be an extremely useful service to the cause of limitation. If it is found possible to agree upon a figure materially lower than 400,000 tons, the American requirements regarding cruisers of the larger class could be revised downward.
Any limitation on the basis of a cruiser tonnage in excess of 400,000 tons we regard as so ineffective a limitation as not to justify the conclusion of treaty at this time.”
The meeting then adjourned to afford opportunity for study and consultation regarding cruiser limitation.