500.A15 Arms Truce/40: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 24—9:25 p.m.]
163. At meeting of the Third Committee this afternoon French representative after criticising Italian proposal from its technical side offered in turn the following proposal to the effect that the Governments attending the Disarmament Conference should be invited to submit some time in January 1932 their declarations with regard to the manner in which they are prepared to comply with the Italian proposal. These declarations, doubtless accompanied by numerous reservations, would then be considered in early stages of Disarmament Conference and an agreement reached provided a sufficient number of states were favorably inclined. The Little Entente supported French proposal as well as Sweden and Finland. Switzerland declared in favor of Scandinavian resolution as measure on which unanimity could be obtained.
It was then decided that the various tentative proposals put before the Committee should be considered by a drafting committee in the remote hope of arriving at some form of text which could be unanimously adopted.
I have been appointed as a member of drafting committee in a “consultative capacity”. We meet tomorrow morning.