Office of the Historian

500.A15a4/695

The Department of State to the British Embassy46

undated

The American Government is in agreement with His Majesty’s Government that so far as the parties to Part III of the London Naval Treaty are concerned the figures to be inserted in any disarmament convention should be kept within the limitations already agreed to at the Washington and London Naval Conferences. However, it does not seem that the duration of any general convention which may come out of the forthcoming Geneva Conference should be limited to so brief a time as the period up to December 31, 1936. This Government feels that since no treaty could possibly be signed until late in 1932, it could not obtain sufficient ratification to put it into force until late in 1933. This would mean a new general conference of all the nations in 1935, which would prepare the way for the termination of the treaty in 1936.

It seems possible that some provisions should be inserted whereby the High Contracting Parties agree that if there were any changes [Page 536] of naval strength for the representatives of the Washington and London Naval Treaties, resulting from the Conference, provided for in Article 23 of the London Treaty, all High Contracting Parties which had entered naval figures in the proposed treaty for the categories limited by these treaties, should meet in accordance with Article 58 of the Draft Convention to advise as to the revisions that might be necessary. Thus the naval provisions of the forthcoming General Convention would be coterminous for all practical purposes with the London and possibly the Washington Treaty; while on the other hand, should the provisions of either or both of these treaties be continued no changes in the General Disarmament Treaty would be required. Thus it would seem that a greater element of stability could be achieved for the General Disarmament Convention than would be possible should provisions for all armaments terminate in 1936. Meanwhile, the American Government would appreciate receiving more in detail any suggestions of His Britannic Majesty’s Government, or any comments on this phase of the subject.

  1. Handed to the Counselor of the British Embassy on December 30, 1931.↩