793.94 Commission/824: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:30 p.m.]
121. My 120, February 21, 8 p.m. Following is résumé of report of meeting of Committee of Nineteen today given me confidentially by Sweetser.
Drummond drew the Committee’s attention to the fact that Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India were signatories of the Nine-Power Treaty and that as such several of these members of the League had expressed the view that they should receive letters of invitation to the Committee of Negotiation. He thought that while they were anxious to receive such invitations their purpose was very largely to preserve their position under the Nine-Power Treaty. If the Committee decided the invitations should be sent he was in a position to add that only Canada would actually accept as she had in any case intended to ask to be invited because of her great interests in the Pacific. Lester, Motta, Hymans and other members of the Committee agreed that the invitation should be sent.
Hymans then asked the Committee’s views in anticipation of a very delicate session on Friday. He took it for granted that both the Chinese and Japanese would speak; indeed Matsuoka had just informed him that he wanted to do so. Hymans raised the question whether the various members of the Assembly should also speak.
Lange9 thought it would be far more dignified if they did not. The Assembly should sit in part as a tribunal. The President should be authorized to speak in its name. Except for the unexpected he thought all present should forego speaking. The other members of the Committee unanimously supported this view.
Beneš then raised the question as to the continuation of the League’s work after the Assembly’s vote. Should the Nineteen carry on or should there be special new arrangements? Hymans felt that this was a very delicate point which obviously required reflection and suggested that the members of the Committee discuss it informally [Page 193] before a further meeting of the Committee of Nineteen which would be held on Thursday.
Madariaga stated that he had been informed that the Chinese intended to raise the question of Jehol on Friday and that it might perhaps be well for the Committee to have an interchange of views in the matter. Eden agreed expressing the hope that the Nineteen would meet sufficiently early on Thursday to allow it to discuss the two points raised by Beneš and Madariaga. Meeting was arranged.
Sweetser further states that subsequent private discussions developed some uncertainty as to the best method of continuing the League’s relationship to this dispute after the adoption of the Assembly report. One view originally put forward by the groups of eight powers brought together by Beneš and Madariaga held that the best course would be for the Nineteen to continue its work with, of course, the invitation to the United States and Russia to associate themselves with it. The other view was that once the efforts for conciliation had failed it would be better to begin entirely anew with a committee of consultation which though created by the League would by its constitution mark the opening of a different phase of the dispute. With this committee equally the United States and Russia would be invited to associate themselves.
- Christian L. Lange, Norwegian delegate to League of Nations.↩