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REDUCT TON AND LIMITATION OF ARMAMENTS,

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Reference: Cabinet 39 (28), Con-

clusion 19.)

7.The Cabinet had before them the Report of

the Lord Privy Seal's Cabinet Committee on Policy

in the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments

(Paper C.P.-253 (28)) containing recommendations

which may be summarised as follows:-

(i) Limitation of Naval Armaments.

The French proposals (July, 1928) for the limitation of naval arma- ments may be accepted as a satis- factory compromise between the British and French views.

(ii) The Secretary of State for Foreign

Affairs should intimate to the French Ambassador that the proposals ere acceptable to Great Britain and that a formal acknowledgement to this effect will be given as soon as they are formally received from the French Government.

(iii) The proposals should then be commu-

nicated to the Governments of the United States of America, Japan. and Italy as constituting a compromise jointly arrived at between the British and French Governments.

(iv) M. Louden, the President of the

Preparatory Commission at Geneva, should be informed privately by the Foreign Secretary that the conversa- tions on Naval Armaments between Great Britain and France had been brought to a successful issue and that so far as this question is concerned there is no need to delay further the next meeting of the Preparatory Commission,

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(v) The German Proposals for Publicity

should only be accepted in so far as Effectives" (Tables I to IX) and Military Programmes are concerned, provided that information in regard to the latter is confined to that which is normally presented to Farlia- ment.

In order to enable the British Repre- sentative at Geneva to be provided with all the technical arguments which can be adduced against Tables X to XIV, the Fighting Departments should be instructed to draw up Memoranda for his guidance.

(vi) That the Model Treaty to Strengthen

the Means of Preventing War, on account of its vague language and

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