550.E1 Russia/1: Telegram

The Ambassador in Italy (Child) to the Secretary of State

[Paraphrase]

51. Press representatives here received authoritative information regarding the French proposal which I submitted in my telegram no. 50, 1 a.m., today. The reporters have requested me to give a general confirmation. The fact that the French have extended a tentative invitation is known to Lloyd George and this morning I discussed the matter with him. I stated that I could not forecast [Page 805] what action my Government would take. It is of course generally recognized that if the United States accepts at all the acceptance probably will also be tentative and will be subject to a more detailed and formal invitation by the Powers. Nevertheless, such a tentative acceptance will help to keep the Conference from being a total failure and will perhaps prevent serious breaches.

Child