Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1931, Volume I

500.A15a3/1386

Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the British Ambassador (Lindsay)

[Washington,] March 2, 1931.

I sent for the British Ambassador this morning and I told him that there had been a report in the Matin saying that as a part of the recent Franco-Italian agreement arranged by Messrs. Henderson and Alexander there was a provision restricting the size of battleships to about 26,000 tons and that it would be necessary to amend the London Treaty in this respect. I said that I did not think this could be true and was not inclined to take the report seriously, for I could not believe that I had been kept informed of the details of the agreement in the way which I had by these negotiators and left in ignorance of such a vitally important point. Nevertheless, it would be so serious if there was any truth in it that I had asked the Ambassador to come down so that I could tell him what our attitude had been at the London Conference on the question of the size of battleships, and in order that he might warn his government that it would be far better not to let such a question come up than to have it come up publicly and receive the answer that we should have to give it. He broke in and said, “I understand perfectly. You want to give me a caveat.” I said, “Yes.” I then told him of Mr. MacDonald’s speech which came to us by radio while we were on the George Washington on our way to London, favoring a reduction in the size of battleships, and of my visit and interview with MacDonald immediately on my arrival in London,⁸¹ at which time I told him of the American position and how we saw no possibility of accepting such a reduction but instead favored a reduction in number if there was to be any reduction in battleship tonnage. I told him how Mr. MacDonald had accepted our position and had come to it himself as he found his own Admiralty took the same view we did. I told him of my interview with the King and MacDonald’s attitude about that, and I said that the introduction of any such feature into the present arrangement would in my opinion bring about serious consequences to the success of the arrangement, because I did not think it could possibly be accepted by the Senate. I told him that moreover the entire American Delegation were against the reduction of the size of battleships under present conditions. He said he understood me perfectly. When I referred to the similar attitude of the British Admiralty, he acquiesced. He said he would communicate with his Government.

He then left with me a copy of the message sent by Mr. Henderson and M. Briand to Signor Grandi on March 1st. He said the message had already been published in the press, but he had received this from his government and as there was some difference in the text he would leave this copy with me.⁸²

H[enry] L. S[timson]

81. See telegram No. 4, January 19, 1930, from the chairman of the American delegation, Foreign Relations, 1930, vol. i, p. 2.
82. Not printed; for text of message as transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in France, see supra. The differences in the texts are purely verbal.