500.A15 a 1/409: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:35 p.m.]
80. Late last evening I received a letter from Mr. Bridgeman as follows:
“You and your colleagues will by this time have looked into the question of an agreed program of cruiser construction as a basis for arriving at a settlement sufficiently to form an idea whether or not it gives a hopeful prospect of success.
Both you and Viscount Ishii expressed some doubts as to the wisdom of having a plenary session tomorrow though you both kindly gave way to my desire for an opportunity of explaining, as I hope to be able to explain, the British position more fully.
But if your chief delegates and those of Japan are able to say that you think the new scheme holds out real prospects of success I should be willing to postpone my statement of the British case for a day or two so as to admit of the possibility of being able to come to the plenary conference with some agreed policy.
I called on Viscount Ishii this morning and he hoped to be able to give me his reply this evening. Should you be able to do the same and both answers were distinctly hopeful I would ask you to postpone this plenary session if you think fit.”
For explanation of first paragraph of Bridgeman’s letter see my 78, July 9, 11 a.m.
[Paraphrase.] Previously, when Viscount Ishii and I objected to calling a plenary session, stating that we considered it wisest to discuss our divergent views in private session and then announce to the public our decision, Bridgeman, you will recall, insisted upon a plenary session. Only upon his statement that he desired that the British views be given at a plenary session did Viscount Ishii and I agree to this. Under these circumstances, I considered that [Page 92] the responsibility for calling off the meeting should be placed upon Bridgeman and not upon the American or Japanese delegations. Therefore, I sent the following reply to Mr. Bridgeman, after consulting Saburi, who was entirely of my opinion: [End paraphrase.]
“I have just received your note of this evening in regard to the desirability of deferring the plenary session called for tomorrow.
As I stated yesterday afternoon, I should be glad [to] explore any possible method of meeting our present difficulty with regard to the cruiser question. Frankly, as you will understand, there has not been sufficient time to determine whether the methods discussed yesterday afternoon, and also between our experts, will hold out a substantial hope of settling our present problem. For that reason I hesitate to hazard an opinion with regard to your suggestion of delaying tomorrow’s meeting on this account.
If, however, you feel that it would be wiser to defer the public meeting for the present I shall be glad to acquiesce in your decision and I would only suggest that you send word this evening to Hugh Wilson in order that he may know whether to continue preparations for tomorrow or to cancel the orders which have been given and notify the various delegates accordingly. As I say, I shall readily abide by any decision you may reach.”
[Paraphrase.] While no reply was addressed to me last night by Bridgeman, he intimated that he was desirous of consulting Cecil and the various Dominion delegations this morning. … I understand that there was a divergence of opinion among the British delegation and that postponement of the meeting had been urged upon Bridgeman by his own associates. [End paraphrase.]
The morning papers carry the news of the assassination in Dublin of Mr. O’Higgins, Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs, their representative at this Conference, who had only recently participated in our work here. I therefore immediately sent word to Mr. Bridgeman that, in view of this tragic event, I, as President of the Conference, suggested, if Mr. Bridgeman approved, a postponement of the plenary session. Mr. Bridgeman replied by letter as follows:
“My colleagues, representative of all parts of the British Empire, join me in expressing to you our appreciation of your kind thought in suggesting the postponement of the plenary meeting today as a token of respect for our colleague, whose tragic death we all so deeply deplore.”
The following communiqué has consequently been issued.
“The Secretary General of the Conference begs to announce that on account of the tragic death of Mr. Kevin O’Higgins, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ireland and former delegate to the Conference [for] the Limitation of Naval Armament, the plenary session scheduled for 3 p.m. today at the Hotel Des Bergues has been indefinitely postponed.”
Mailed to London.