Office of the Historian

500.A15A4 General Committee/306: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis)53

Washington, April 25, 1933—7 p.m.

322. President directs me to send you following confidential message:

Please be guided by the broad policy of United States in consistently pressing for immediate and practical actual disarmament. Our ultimate goal is two-fold: First, reduction of present annual costs of armament maintenance in all national budgets and, Second, arrival at a goal of domestic policing armaments in as few years as possible.

To arrive at these by cutting the power of offense and thereby increasing the power of defense, thus also diminishing danger of surprise attacks, should do more than any other thing to lessen war dangers.

You can make it clear that we regard the MacDonald Plan as a definite and excellent step towards the ultimate objective, but that it is a step only and must be followed by succeeding steps. We do not ask that the MacDonald Plan be amended to make it stronger at this time because we do not want to jeopardize it as a whole by offering amendments, except the amendment to make the inspection machinery continuous and automatic. But at the same time we shall press at a later Conference for additional limitations on the weapons of offense or of surprise attack. This position is an answer to any German effort to increase armaments now, for in effect we ask them to stay as they are and that other nations will reduce to their level by steps.

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Please let me have your opinion as to the advisability of a public statement by me covering the ultimate objective and laying stress on the necessity of concrete action at this time.

Hull

  1. Note by Under Secretary Phillips attached to file: “At the President’s request, I read this telegram to Mr. Howard Smith of the British Embassy, after allowing him to read telegram No. 321 of today’s date.”

    The telegram bears the marginal notation: “Approved by the President.”

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