500.A15A4/1350: Telegram
The Acting Chairman of the American Delegation (Gibson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:30 p.m.]
352. The completed text of the resolution55 reported in our various telegrams was presented to the General Commission this afternoon by Beneš with a long and lucid exposé of the methods that had brought it about and the purposes it was designed to achieve. At the beginning of the general discussion at the request of Henderson, Beneš, Drummond, Simon and Herriot I delivered the speech56 contained in my 349 as amended according to your suggestion, text contained in my 351,57 as it was felt that such a statement on our part would tend to minimize a number of amendments which failing of adoption might create an impression of weakening the value of the resolution. I showed the speech before I delivered it to Simon, Herriot and Boncour who approved. Herriot and Boncour saw no objection to the statement of our position on the limitation of expenditure. It is, however, possible that they or some of their group will make observations on the effectives along lines very similar to those included in my speech as regards limitation of expenditure. So far as we can judge the speech was well received.