711.0012Anti-War/201: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Herrick) to the Secretary of State
236. My 233, August 14, 6 p.m., contains explicit assurance requested by your 258, August 14, 10 a.m., assuming that you have no objection to the requested French addition transmitted in my telegram.
However, immediately upon receipt of your 261, August 14, 5 p.m., I telephoned M. Corbin, the only responsible official on duty at the Foreign Office on this holiday. The first reaction apparently was that it is not clear in what manner “notices of adherence” prior to the coming into force of the pact could be transferred into legally valid instruments of adherence on the day the pact comes into effect. In other words although M. Corbin was informed that in your opinion “it would be entirely proper and desirable for governments to adhere to the treaty even before it comes into force” he still does not see how such adherence can be effected other than in a conditional manner by means of an instrument containing a specific provision for the accrual of a condition subsequent (see my 225, August 10, 4 p.m.).
M. Corbin said that this matter was of great importance and one on which the French would have to act with the utmost prudence (I gather he meant in answering the inquiries of continental powers as to exactly what they can and could do) and that it was therefore essential to know exactly what our Government had in mind with respect to the type of instrument by which this adherence could be effected. He was leaving his office for the day within a few minutes, and requested that the changes of text in your proposed telegram be shown to him tomorrow morning.
Since the French Government had not objected to the wording as originally set forth in your 247, August 8, 3 p.m., and merely raised this question for clarification between our two Governments, it might be more expeditious to send your telegram with the desired French addition to various missions in the form originally proposed, meanwhile continuing the efforts at clarification here on the point mentioned above.
- Telegram in two sections.↩