626
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE Reference:--
TREETC.O.882/11
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
1073/25.
88
No. 72.
MR. A. CHAMBERLAIN (FOREign Office)
DEAR SIR ERIC DRUMMOND,
to
SIR E. DRUMMOND (LEAGUE OF NATIONS). (Copy received in Colonial Office, 8th January, 1925.)
Foreign Office, S.W.1, 3rd January, 1925. I HAVE read with much interest your letters of 19th December* to me and of 20th December to Selby about the Opium Conference, and, if I have not answered them before, it is because I have been engaged, with the rest of the Cabinet, in con- sidering how we can best avoid an open breach with the American Delegation and give them some satisfaction without promising to do anything which may be imprac- ticable, or allowing Great Britain to be put in such a position that she will appear to be refusing to carry out her obligations.
As you know, this is not an easy matter, and has not been made any easier by Mr. Porter's own attitude, as to which the memorandum enclosed in your second letter seems to me, if I may say so, singularly misinformed.
What we cannot admit is that the Americans shall be allowed to over-ride the decisions of the League as to what shall and shall not be discussed at a Conference which it convokes. You will appreciate what an undesirable precedent this would create and how dangerous it would be, not only to the interests of the Powers affected, but also to those of the League itself, if we let the Americans stampede us in this way. We realize, however, that, although the American proposals are out of order, and their Delegation have behaved in a very unreasonable and almost offensive manner in their method of putting them forward, it would be unwise to let them feel that they had been muzzled and not allowed to state their case; and we therefore propose that the Powers concerned (that is, the Powers represented at the First Con- ference) should consent to an enlargement of the discussion on Mr. Porter's motion so far as to allow the Americans to go fully into the case for their proposal to bring the use of opium for smoking to an end within ten years, provided that the principle is maintained, that the agenda of the Conference shall not be arbitrarily altered, and the question is not to be regarded as one for the decision of the Conference. This discussion will at the same time give the Powers concerned the opportunity of explain- ing fully to the Conference and to the world (the discussion would be reported in the verbatim record of the proceedings of the Conference) the position in which they find themselves, the difficulties they are encountering in giving effect to Chapter II, and the reasons why they cannot include in a joint agreement more than the First Confer- ence has done, though individually some of the Powers have gone or are prepared to go a good deal further. Such a discussion should do a great deal to clear the air. The proposal of course involves the withdrawal of the American motion to refer the question to a Committee of the Second Conference for consideration.
As regards Great Britain, we should propose to instruct our Delegate to say that, while we consider that the agreement reached at the First Conference (which His Majesty's Government have decided to sign) does represent some advance on the previous position, we quite admit that, for the reasons which will be explained, the progress made is not very substantial or as much as we had hoped, and that the agreement does not deal with the more important questions raised by the Opium Advisory Committee. As this has apparently given rise to suspicions that we desire to sidetrack those questions, it will be pointed out that on the contrary, the question has Leen engaging the earnest attention of the British Government ever since the Con- vention came into force four years ago, and before; that it was on the initiative of the British Government that the matter was brought before the Opium Advisory Com- mittee last year, and the proposal for the summoning of the Conference made to the Council and Assembly; and that prior to the Conference the authorities in the British Far Eastern Colonies, acting on the expressed desire of the Home Government, have made searching investigations into the question of a possible further reduction of consumption there. The results of these investigations are recorded in the published Blue Books. The Government regret that these authorities have not felt able, in the present situation in the Far East especially in China to make more positive recom- mendations. They would obviously have had great difficulty in over-ruling the care- fully considered opinion of their own responsible officials on the spot. As has already
* No. 71.
50
been intimated by the British Delegate in the Conference, they are quite willing that an independent investigation into the conditions in the Far Eastern territories of all the countries signatory to the Opium Convention should be made as soon as possible by an authoritative and impartial International Commission of Inquiry appointed by the League. His Majesty's Government believe that no possible avenue of advance has been left unexplored by the local authorities. They need, however, hardly say that they would welcome any practical suggestion for a further advance that might be made by such a Commission after study of local conditions in the countries con- cerned. If that is also acceptable to the other Powers concerned, including the United States of America (the inquiry would of course extend to the Philippines, where the policy of prohibition has been tried and not, as we understand, altogether with the results hoped for, by reason of the very same difficulty of an extensive contraband trade which confronts our own Colonies), we should be ready to submit a definite proposal to the League to that effect. Apart, however, frota such an investigation, we intend to go forward as rapidly as the circumstances of our Colonies permit.
It remains for the Americans to say whether they will meet us half-way in the manner I have indicated above. We are communicating our suggestion to the American Government through our Ambassador at Washington, and it occurs to me that you may be able to make an opportunity of seeing Mr. Porter before the Conference reassembles on the 12th and putting it to him yourself I trust that Mr. Porter will accept this proposal. If he does not, it will be difficult to resist the conclusion that he is not really anxious to settle the question in an impartial spirit, and I need hardly point out that a very serious situation will arise. In effect, the whole of the important work that has been done both in preparation for the Conference and at the Conference in regard to the business for which the Conference was called, would be jeopardized for the sake of a proposal with which the League never intended the Conference to deal. The responsibility for such an unfortunate situation would rest on the American Delegation.
After all, as is pointed out in the memorandum which you sent me, the chief American interest in opium suppression is the danger to their own people from the drugs manufactured from opium, which are now so extensively smuggled into America. This trade, as far as I am aware, has never been shown to have any connexion with imports of opium into British Far Eastern Colonies, whether from India or elsewhere; and what is needed to check it is a satisfactory Convention on drug manufacture, such as both we and the Americans have proposed for the Second Conference. The opposition to such a Convention comes not from us, but from the French; but that is a fact which does not seem to be appreciated very much by the Americans.
I trust this outline of our attitude, representing of course a compromise between conflicting views, will nevertheless contribute to a solution of the difficulties which have arisen, and help to rescue the treatment of this very real problem from the atmosphere of recrimination in which it is becoming involved.
If you think it would be well to let the President of the Conference know what our attitude is, you are quite at liberty to do so.
Yours, &c.,
3353/25.
No. 73.
AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN.
MEMORANDUM PREPARED IN FOREIGN OFFICE RECORDING THE CON- CLUSIONS OF INTERDEPARTMENTAL DISCUSSIONS WITH LORD CECIL.
A SECOND meeting was held in the Secretary of State's room on 14th January to consider the policy to be followed by the British Delegation to the adjourned Opium Conference that reopens at Geneva on 19th January.
Present:
MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN (in the Chair).
LORD CECIL
SIR JOHN ANDERSON
SIR MALCOLM DELEVINGNE
SIR A. HIRTZEL
MR. WALTON
Home Office.
India Office.
SIR G. GRINDLE Colonial Office.
MR. PASKIN
MR. WATERLOW
MR. MALKIN
MR. RANDALL
Foreign Office.