500.A15A4 General Committee (Arms)/45: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis)
16. Your No. 25, November 7, 3 p.m., and Nos. 940, October 30, 6 p.m.,92 and 941, November 6, 11 a.m., from Mayer. The scheme of the draft articles dealing with the manufacture of and traffic in arms meets with our general approval. I desire to express my appreciation of the excellent work which has been done in preparing this draft. It is being carefully studied in cooperation with War and Navy, and detailed criticisms and suggestions will be sent to Geneva by pouch in time to reach the Delegation several weeks before the Committee reconvenes.
You should continue preparing the ground for the negotiation, with the least possible delay, of a separate protocol based upon the draft [Page 177] articles submitted. It seems to me, however, to be essential that the articles defining the organization of the Permanent Disarmament Commission and its functions in respect to the trade in and manufacture of arms should be an integral part of this protocol. The articles defining the organization of that body can be so drawn that further functions can be assigned to it in other protocols if the negotiation of such protocols becomes possible in the future. I am unable to perceive any advantage in Henderson’s proposed procedure by which the articles setting up the Commission would be embodied in a separate protocol. What arguments have been adduced in support of this procedure? It would not appear to aid in any way toward solving the difficulties in respect to Germany, and it would require the ratification of two separate protocols, both of which would be necessary to the establishment of international control of the arms traffic, thus apparently creating an unnecessary difficulty.
Repeat to Geneva for Mayer.
- No. 940 not printed.↩