Ambassador Reid to the Secretary of State.
London, February 22, 1907.
(Mr. Reid says that Sir Edward Grey has now communicated the result of his final interview with M. Martens, the position of the [Page 1102] British Government being the following: That they adhere to their opinion that the subject of disarmament should be discussed under the form of “Expenditure on armaments,” and that they feel that the conference would lose prestige if it separated without venturing to touch the question, in view of the interest expressed on the subject at the interparliamentary conference last year, at which so many countries were represented, and that the discussion must be a serious one and not one simply raised and buried in half an hour; that the British Government would not think a discussion between the great powers desirable before the conference met, but they would be willing to receive the views of the other powers on the subject if they wished to send them to this Government. They thought it might be more profitable, supposing there were difficulties at the conference, for the great powers to continue the discussion among themselves afterwards. Professor Martens asked whether, the British Government would be satisfied with a discussion at the conference which resulted in the expression of an opinion that each power should devote its attention to the question, to which the reply was that the British Government would not go so far as to say that this was not better than nothing, but that it would amount to very little and they would not be content with it so long as there was hope of something better. M. Martens then asked if the British Government could now say whether they themselves intended to propose the question at the Conference, to which Sir Edward Grey responded that they could not, but thought it would be sufficient that Russian Government should state in their invitation that His Majesty’s Government attached great importance to the question being brought forward. Sir Edward Grey understands that Germany and Russia will not oppose discussion of the subject of disarmament as above designated. Professor Martens said that great powers were the only ones vitally interested in the subject of disarmament, and much time would be lost in the discussion of the question by the smaller powers at the conference. He therefore suggested that a committee should be formed of the great powers at the conference, who would submit the result of their deliberations to the conference for discussion. Sir Edward Grey was not disinclined to regard this favorably. Mr. Reid then asks to be advised as to the view of the secretary in regard to this suggestion.)