500.A15A4 General Committee/441: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis) to the Acting Secretary of State
Geneva, June 5,
1933—5 p.m.
[Received 8:33 p.m.]
[Received 8:33 p.m.]
687. Referring to my 684.
- 1.
- At Daladier’s request Londonderry, Eden and I will meet him and Paul-Boncour on Thursday54 in Paris. He has reserved the entire day and has indicated that he is giving exhaustive study to the subject before our meeting. In view of the importance of this meeting the British may yet decide that MacDonald or Baldwin55 should attend.
- 2.
- My impression is that the French are now realizing that the dangers in accepting the British plan are less than those they would ultimately and inevitably face by its rejection. Unless therefore Germany again makes a false move so that the blame can be put upon her for failure the French will in my opinion endeavor to prepare the way for acceptance. Accordingly, they are already endeavoring to establish better relations with Italy and to make possible the signing of the Four Power Pact.
- 3.
- Our particular task on Thursday, however, will be to hold the
discussion to part II of the British plan since it is the French
attitude towards this part which will be the determining factor in
success or failure of the British plan. You are already familiar
with the difficulties which the French find in accepting this part.
I anticipate that they may be brought to its acceptance with certain
modifications provided two things to which they attach great
importance can be brought about.
- (a)
- They will insist upon an acceptance by Great Britain of the automatic application of article 16 of the Covenant.56 As you know the British have been reluctant to undertake this but Simon last week in the House went far in that direction and Drummond57 thinks they might at least be brought to accepting the automatic application of article 16 for the continent of Europe if at the same time they declared that for the rest of the world they will only accept such application in cooperation with the United States. Drummond added that certain of the non-European states would be very reluctant to any discrimination being made in the interpretation of the Covenant as it would tend to reduce the League of Nations to a purely European organization.
- (b)
- The French will undoubtedly insist upon prolonging the period provided under the British plan for the destruction of land material [Page 184] (guns and tanks). They will insist that a further period be permitted in which the inspection and control provided under the Disarmament Treaty as well as the Permanent Disarmament Commission can have a sufficient amount of time to function and prove its efficacy. This they temporarily treat with impunity [sic] to see what the result of the revolution in Germany is going to be.
- 4.
- One of the chief difficulties with which we have to contend is the French fear of destroying any big guns until they can see what turn affairs will take in Germany and their inherent objection to destroying anything of their own that they have spent money for.
- 5.
- I shall leave here Tuesday night and will have a conference with Londenderry Wednesday evening preparatory to the discussions Thursday.
Davis