500.A15A5/105: Telegram
The Ambassador in Great Britain (Bingham) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 22—8:45 a.m.]
344. My telegram No. 343, June 21, 4 p.m. At a meeting of technical experts this morning attended by Atherton, Leigh, Field89 and [Page 268] Wilkinson, the British elaborated their proposals made yesterday as follows:
Battleships to remain 15 in number, 12-inch guns, maximum displacement 25,000 tons, which they state will provide an 8-gun, 23-knot, maximum protected ship.
Aircraft carrier tonnage to be reduced to 110,000, with maximum displacement 22,000 tons, permitting five such ships (or more of smaller size). Reduction to be accomplished on ultimate replacement of present vessels such as Lexington and Saratoga. Suggested reduce guns to 4.7 inches.
Cruisers—present treaty allowance of 8-inch cruisers to be retained but no additional, and no replacements to be accomplished during life of treaty. 10,000-ton 6-inch cruisers to be limited in number to 10, 10 and 6 for England, United States, Japan, respectively. Additional cruiser tonnage of 250,000 to be utilized in ships not over 7,000 tons. Total under-age cruiser tonnage 491,800. Also 10 over-age cruisers to be retained and to be replaced successively by other cruisers as they in turn become over-age; thus cruisers becoming over-age are (1) replaced by new cruisers built, (2) not scrapped but retained while still older ships are scrapped.
Destroyers to be reduced to 100,000 tons if submarines are abolished. If submarines are reduced to 40,000 tons, destroyers to remain at 150,000 tons. If submarine allowances are fixed above 40,000 tons, over-age destroyers to a total of 50,000 tons to be retained.
Submarines to be abolished or maximum reduction of tonnage to be sought. Reduction in size to 250 tons desired but not insisted upon. Allowance of submarines to be held to 40,000 tons or below if practicable and to a maximum number of 45. All five powers to have parity in submarines.
For cruisers and destroyers necessary modifications to be made to London Treaty to permit retaining over-age ships and tonnage above noted, instead of scrapping down to treaty limits by 31 December 1936.
Dominion quotas will be discussed later in major conversations rather than by experts. Indications are however that these quotas will be additional to tonnages cited above.
Technical experts agreed to meet again at a date to be mutually fixed.
- Noel H. Field of the Division of Western European Affairs.↩