500.A15A4 Steering Committee/492: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 4—9:50 a.m.]
1074. A [statement by?] Cranborne19 throws light on the British position respecting disarmament. Cranborne feels that the whole subject is considered untimely in England and somewhat harassing. Certain conservative elements in the Government have for years been convinced of the necessity of rearmament, they have struggled hard to carry conviction to the rest of their party and finally, aided by German building, to the rest of the nation. The nation has now for the first time reluctantly but seriously accepted a program of rearmament hence the Government hesitates to welcome anything that even psychologically cuts across this state of mind, unless, Cranborne added, it shows possibility of real reduction in armament throughout the whole of Europe. For a partial measure such as the French seem to have in mind they cannot have any ardent sympathy.
We then went more in detail into the subject. The British are willing to accept an agreement for budgetary publicity but in their minds [Page 19] such newspaper publicity is an unilateral act and subject to no control. I know from my conversations with the French that such is not their conception respecting manufacture of and trade in arms. Cranborne deplored the fact that Great Britain had had to oppose France on this subject and again would have to oppose France on it if the French pushed for a formal notice. Cranborne added that no change of attitude on the part of the British Government in this respect could be expected before the Royal Commission sitting on this matter had given its report. He did not know what kind of report the Commission would make. It had been sitting for a year and a half and the testimony was voluminous. He hoped it would give its report soon so that the Government could clarify its attitude.
- Viscount Robert A. J. C. Cranborne, British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; member (substitute) of the British delegation to the League of Nations.↩