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248

ARMAMENTS REDUCTION OF.

Nayal Disarm ament.

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Reference: Cabinet 44 (28) Con-

clusion 4.)

2. The Acting Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs informed the Cabinet that the reply had,

been received on September 28, 1928, of the Govern- ment of the United States of America to the communi- cation of His Majesty's Government summarising the understanding reached between the British and French

Governments as to a basis of Naval limitation

prepared for submission to the Preparatory Commis- sion for the Disarmament Conference (W.9338/28/98). The Note, while unexceptionable in tone and leaving the door open for further discussion, did no more than repost the position which the United States Government had already taken up in regard to Naval

Disarmament . In his view it was not desirable to

issue a reply until after the Presidential Election early in November, and he had asked our Ambassador in Paris to urge the French Government to adopt the

same course. In the meantime the views of the Admiralty ought to be obtained, and the Note could be studied by the Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence with the object of advising the Cabinet as to future action.

In the course of a full discussion attention was directed to the drawbacks of further delay in issuing an authoritative account of the Anglo-French negotiations from the British standpoint: to the

misapprehensions contained in the American Note: to the difriculty of issuing any explanation which would be at once brief and intelligible: to the

demand which would be made by Parliament for the publication of all relevant documents; and to the advantages of postponing publication until after the Presidential Election and immediately before the meeting of Parliament.

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