You may notice that sterling exchange broke today. The City rumors are
that the Bank of France has stated it cannot do business with the Bank
of England while Norman remains its head. There follow, of course, other
rumors that Norman’s resignation is contemplated, but apparently without
foundation.
[Enclosure]
Memorandum on the Question of Replacing
Battleships
1) According to Article 190 of the Treaty of Versailles the life of
German battleships is 20 years. The 8 battleships (2 of these were
reserve ships) which were left us by the Treaty of Versailles and
after the negotiations with the Interallied Naval Commission, have
reached the following age resp.: one 29 years, three 28 years, one
27 years, one 26 years and two 25 years. Some of the ships are so
used up in parts that the safety of the crew would probably be
endangered if the ships were still used for many years.
According to the building programme for replacing old ships covering
the years until 1936, only 3 “Ersatz” battleships are to be put into
service and the building of a fourth battleship is to be begun.
According to this plan there would be replaced: the battleship Preussen (age 29 years)—(by the battleship
Deutschland), the battleship Lothringen (age 30 years), the battleship Braunschweig (age 34 years); the battleship
Elsass would not be replaced before 1938,
at which time this ship will have reached the age of 35 years.
Of the 8 cruisers allowed to Germany (2 of which are reserve
cruisers) we have replaced 4 cruisers by new ships. These 4 cruisers
had already by far surpassed the age limit of 20 years prescribed by
the Treaty of Versailles. A fifth “Ersatz” cruiser Leipzig, which is to replace a ship that has surpassed the
age limit by 11 years, has been completed and will shortly be put
into commission.
2) Our replacement programme is necessarily regulated by the fact
that, according to the Treaty of Versailles, our ships had to be
delivered to the Allies. At the end of the war we possessed 2828 modern capital ships (dreadnoughts and battle
cruisers), some of which had only been completed during the war.
Apart from this we had 328 modern cruisers. All these
ships had to be delivered according to the Treaty of Versailles
(articl. 185). We were merely allowed to keep 8 old battleships
dating from the pre-dreadnought time, which were launched between
1902 and 1906. Apart from these ships 8 small cruisers were left to
us most of which, at the time that the Treaty of
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Versailles became valid, had already
attained the age limit of 20 years (apart from this all our
submarines, 42 modern destroyers and 50 modern torpedo boats were
taken from us).
Had we been allowed to keep modern battleships instead of the old
ones which can hardly put in sea without endangering the crew, it
would have been unnecessary for us to build new ships for a long
time. Owing to the fact that they were of high technical standard,
we could even have kept in service for a long time the oldest of our
capital ships which were put into service in the years 1910 and
1911, in spite of the fact that they had attained the prescribed age
limit.
3) The battle cruiser Deutschland was launched
in May last, and its construction has already been completed: the
work on the ships armaments is at present proceeding; it is to be
completed in September 1932.
4) The budget for 1931 provides for a first instalment of RM
10.830,000.—for the battle cruiser “B” (Ersatz Lothringen). Of this sum the costs of building are 6,1
million marks, the costs of artillery armaments 4,63 million marks,
the costs for torpedo armaments a 100 000 marks. The keel of the
ship has already been set. The building yard works are proceeding
for several months. The amounts provided for by the budget for 1931
have already been completely spent on orders placed with the
building yards and the industry.
It is intended to put the ships in commission by the end of 1934.
5) For the battle cruiser “C” the construction of which is provided
for in the building programme for the middle of 1932 until the
middle of 1936, no budgetary means have been provided for so far.
The period for construction of the battle cruiser “D” is to be the
middle of 1934 until the middle of 1938. Also for this ship no
dispositions have of course been made.
6) The tonnage conceded to Germany under the Treaty of Versailles for
battleships (in total 60,000 tons) and for small cruisers (36,000
tons) to which 2 battleships and 2 cruisers without ammunition and
crew must be added as reserves, compares with the following French
total, taking into account the present strength of the French navy
plus ships under construction:
| 9 |
battleships with a total tonnage of |
194.544 |
| 2 |
aircraft carriers with a total tonnage
of |
32.046 |
| 21 |
cruisers |
“ |
“ |
“ |
“ |
“ |
178.154 |
Whereas Germany is allowed 24 destroyers and torpedo boats (plus 8
vessels in reserve) France possesses 92 destroyers and torpedo boats
and, in addition, at the time being 110 submarines with a tonnage of
97.111 which are completely forbidden to Germany.
