CO129-486 - Public Offices - 1924 — Page 503

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proposal to an issue, he had suggested that he should be givon, and had received, further instructions to propose an immediate adjournment over Christmas, but it had been unnecessary for him to make a motion on this subject in his own name, as tho President (apparently with the agreement of the American delegation) himself proposed an adjournment until the 18th January, and this proposal was accepted unanimously.

Asked by the Home Secretary whether the American proposals had the support of the majority of the Conference, Sir Malcolm Delevingne ropliod that he thought that at first the majority of the delegates had been in favour of them, but he had gained the impression later that the impropriety of the Second Conference trespassing on the ground of the First Conference had begun to dawn on some of them and that their opinion was inclined to waver, particularly in view of

possible trouble at the next Assembly. The Home Secretary asked whether the American proposals would wrock the Second Conference. Sir Malcolm Delevingne ropliod that som at least of the seven Powere represented at the First Conferange would abstain from discussion them. He himself, on express instructions, had taken that line.

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Sir Louis Kershaw asked whether the President of the Second Cenforence would himself give a decision as to whether the discussion of the American proposals should be permitted, or whether he would leave it to the Conference. Sir Valcolm Delevingne replied that the President was in a position of great difficulty. If on his own initiative he ruled the American proposals out of order it was almost certain that the American delegation would withdraw and this was a greater responsibility than the President could be expected to take. The Americans on their part claimed to be bound by the express terms of the resolution of Congress under which they were sent. At the same time this did not excuse the unwarranted attack made by Mr. Porter in his speach and Sishop rent in his "Appeal" on the "evasion" by certain signatory Powers of their obligations under Chapter II of the Hague Convention, or the allegation that the draft Agreement reached at the First Conference was intended to be a method of shirking these obligations.

The Home Secretary asked kr. Waterlow whether a remonstrance could not be addressed to Washington on this point, Sir John Anderson raking it clear that this remonstrance should be confined to the ? undiplomatic conduct of Mr. Porter and Bishop Brent, and should not be an attempt to persuade the Americans to withdraw their proposals, which it appeared that under the Congress resolution they could not do.

Mr. Maturlow thereupon said that he was going to propose that Sir Halcolm Delevingne should prepara a full list of all the mis- representations of the sritish position which had been expressed at the tro Conferencoe in order that the Foreign Office might consider the making of representations to all the Governments concerned. He mentioned a Foreign Office proposal to initiate a campaign of publicity in defence of the British position. In the first place, however, he thought it necessary for the Conference to decide on the fundamental