500.A15A4/1105: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Mellon)
172. Your 169, May 13, 4 p.m. Gibson telegraphs from Geneva that he has been informed in strict confidence that the British Delegation [Page 158] understands that Sir John Simon has come out wholeheartedly for Baldwin’s plan; that the Cabinet was to meet to consider the plan last night and will meet again tomorrow, Wednesday, when it is hoped that the plan will be accepted as a whole for presentation at Geneva.
In view of the short time involved, I am particularly anxious to get a message to Baldwin and Simon before tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting and feel that as Baldwin’s message came to me in an informal and personal manner, the best means of answering would be for you to see him and Simon urgently and explain to them orally the following considerations.
We are anxious to aid and in no way thwart the success of the Conference but the extent of our ability to join in Baldwin’s proposed measures of actual reduction is limited by our responsibility on the Pacific. At this very moment our Navy is maintaining the stability of peace in the Far East, not only for ourselves, but for Britain, France and other powers interested in that locality.
This emergent situation only confirms our long standing national policy as to capital ships. It is simply impossible for this Government to consider a total abolition of them. We feel that a mere proposal to that effect by the British would seriously handicap us in our present responsibility on the Pacific and would also tend to drive a cleavage between the policies of our two nations at a time when harmony between us is most important.
Although we feel that in view of the great initiative in sacrifice which has been taken since 1921 by the naval powers renders it now appropriate that a similar initiative should be shown first by the powers having dominant land forces, we are prepared to join in a general movement for real disarmament, provided such movement is conditioned upon real and commensurate sacrifices by both classes of powers. Our delegation has already been instructed accordingly, but it cannot include the abolition suggested.