893.50A/108: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Wilson)
168. 1. Sweetser94 has called at the Department and stated that in connection with the League of Nations program of technical assistance to China, the Transit Committee of the League is organizing a group of engineers to go to China to make a survey of water conservancy and highway transportation problems. He said that there had already been chosen for this work a British, an Italian, a French and a Dutch national and that the Chairman of the Transit Committee would like to include an American hydraulic expert.95 In this connection Sweetser suggested the nomination of an American Army engineer.
2. The Department wishes to be informed (a) in regard to the present status of the matter, and (b) which, if any, of the engineers already selected are or have been in the active military service of their respective governments.
3. Please make oral inquiry and telegraph reply as soon as practicable.
- Arthur Sweetser, American director “hors section”, League of Nations.↩
- This information was also transmitted to the Embassy in Great Britain (telegram No. 376, October 5, 9 p.m.), with the instruction: “Please inquire orally and in confidence of the Foreign Office whether within its knowledge the League Committee has given consideration to the question of offering the Japanese an opportunity to participate in this matter. In so doing, please keep clearly in mind the fact that the Department is not making a proposal that Japanese participation should be invited but that the Department, before arriving at a decision, desires to have such information on this point as the Foreign Office may be in position to furnish.” (893.50A/108) No reply was received from the British Foreign Office. (893.50A/118)↩