500.A15A4 Steering Committee/493: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 5—6:45 p.m.]
1075. At the meeting of the Third Committee this afternoon the five states responsible for its convocation reiterated their belief that work in the disarmament field could usefully be resumed in the Bureau and outlined a limited program which seemed to offer prospect of achievement: namely, a convention to include publicity of budgetary expenditures, control of trade in and manufacture of arms and the establishment of the Permanent Disarmament Commission. In this they were in general supported by the other speakers.
Paul-Boncour20 stated that France would not have taken the initiative of requesting the summoning of the Bureau if it had not felt that there were chances of some accomplishment but did not press for its immediate convocation. He reiterated France’s basic conception that any settlement must be founded on the twin principles of publicity and control. He was followed by Malcolm MacDonald for Great Britain who repeated what Eden21 had said before the Assembly in respect to the possibility of achieving a convention on budgetary publicity. MacDonald also reviewed the British position with respect to the control of arms manufacture and trade in terms similar to those used by the British during the committee meetings of 1935 and stressed the need for a treaty of this nature which would be both practical and possible of general acceptance.
[Page 20]The President closed the general discussion and will report to the Assembly that the Third Committee supports the French move for convocation of the Bureau.