Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1937, General, Volume I

856D.6176/381: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Bingham ) to the Secretary of State

London , January 26, 1937—4 p.m.
[Received January 26—1:10 p.m.]

28. In the absence of Eden¹⁰ and Gwatkin¹¹ in Geneva I presented the substance of Department’s 16, January 23, 2 p.m., to Vansittart¹² and Jebb¹³ yesterday and I am informed subsequently Vansittart wrote the Colonial Secretary an outline of my remarks.

At today’s meeting Colonel Townsend asked for an increase in the second and third quarters to 90%; the Rubber Committee decided, however, to retain the present quota figure for the second quarter and an 85% release for the third quarter which Townsend and the German (the English consumer representative being absent) accepted under protest and asked that their protest be filed in the minutes of the meeting.

I venture to mention how opportune it would be to discuss with Mr. Runciman¹⁴ before his departure from Washington the rubber situation particularly in view of the commitments made to us by the British Government in their 1934 correspondence with this Embassy.¹⁵

Bingham

10. Anthony Eden, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and delegate, League of Nations Assembly.
11. Frank T. A. Ashton-Gwatkin, Counselor for Economic Relations of the British Foreign Office.
12. Robert Gilbert Vansittart, British Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
13. Hubert M. G. Jebb, First Secretary in the British Foreign Office.
14. Walter Runciman, President of the British Board of Trade.
15. See Foreign Relations, 1934, vol. i, pp. 615 ff.