724.3415/3786: Telegram (part air)

The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State

128. Department’s 50, June 1, 7 p.m. Arms embargo.

1.
The French and I believe other states which have made their action contingent upon Germany’s have taken the position that they cannot act until Germany replies in some way to the League.
2.
Encountering the German Consul today he told me as follows:
(a)
Upon its receipt of the second communication from the League (Consulate’s 112, May 30, 8 p.m., paragraph 3)75 his Government instructed him to go a step further and to state the German position direct to Najera in the same terms as he had expressed it to me.
(b)
Najera requested that he solicit Berlin to clarify its position by more formal action.
(c)
He suggested to Berlin that they make a unilateral declaration or issue a statement through some official press organ.
(d)
He has received no reply from Berlin.
3.
He stated to me that Berlin informed him that its fundamental position was to “make no difficulties” for the embargo but that it would reply direct to the League and would probably not act otherwise on its own initiative. He was given to understand, however, that if any interested state should address a pertinent inquiry to Berlin they were prepared to give a favorable reply.
4.
He told me definitely what he had intimated in my previous conversation with him that his Foreign Office informed him by telephone that the German Ambassador in Washington had been instructed to take this matter up with the Department.
5.
League authorities tell me that they are considering asking Great Britain or some other League state which has included Germany as a state upon which their action was contingent to address Berlin in the sense discussed in the preceding paragraph. Could they at the same time gain Berlin’s assent to communicate the German reply to the League, Germany’s position would be formalized.
6.
I can only say that the reasons why other states have made Germany’s action contingent upon theirs is a part of the almost impenetrable network of political considerations which appears here to surround this entire matter. On the more technical side with respect to article 170 of the Versailles Treaty, Secretariat authorities note that the embargo proposal embraces the question of transit. The same naturally holds good also for Austria.
Gilbert
  1. Not printed.