550.S1/445: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 30—3:45 p.m.]
372. Department’s 190, December 29, 6 p.m. Avenol informs me as follows: decisions of this character are customarily taken jointly in common agreement by the Organizing Committee and the Preparatory Committee. After the Organizing Committee had suggested that China be invited to participate in the Preparatory Committee the Secretariat consulted the members of the latter Committee by telegraph. All replied favorably and without reservations except the British and Japanese members who accepted with the reservation that the Chinese representative should take part only with respect to silver. As there were obvious objections to such a procedure, Simon and the Japanese delegate, after their conversations with Davis and after communicating by telephone with their respective experts on the Preparatory Committee, informed the Secretariat verbally that at their request the British and Japanese experts respectively had withdrawn their reservation. No written communication was received on this point but a notation to that effect was made in the Secretariat’s dossier on the subject. With this understanding the Secretariat addressed an invitation to the Chinese Government under date of December 19. Although reference is made in the opening paragraph to the special interest of China in silver, the invitation places no limitation on the participation of the Chinese representative. Consequently it is the understanding of the Secretariat that the Chinese expert is entitled to full membership and the invitation was communicated by the Secretariat to the Chinese Government on that basis.
Nevertheless not knowing the basis of the Department’s information from Paris I shall refrain from making any statement as regards the Indian representative until further instructed.
Communicated to Paris Embassy.