follows: "At the request of the British Government and with the approval of the American Government." I pointed out that the word "and" had been inserted and that the word "approval" had been authorized instead of "support." Johnson replied that the Belgians would be somewhat disappointed and I said that our preoccupation was that nothing should be done that would seem to hitch us too definitely with the British and, above all, give the impression that we were following the British. Johnson said he would report at once upon learning anything definite.

HUGH R. WILSON

793.94 Conference/34: Telegram

The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

LONDON, October 15, 1937-7 p. m. [Received October 15-2: 55 p. m.]

652. Both British and Belgians have accepted formula telephoned to me by Mr. Hugh Wilson, Guillaume having received authorization by telephone from Brussels.

The Belgian Government will issue a press communiqué tonight, which will be communicated also to the interested diplomatic representatives at Brussels, saying that they intend to issue invitations. The invitations themselves, according to Guillaume, should be forthcoming tomorrow and the date of October 30 will be set for the opening of the Conference.

The Foreign Office informs me that they will not issue any communiqué at present.

JOHNSON

793.94 Conference/42

The Secretary of State to the Belgian Ambassador

(Van der Straten-Ponthoz)

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Royal Belgian Ambassador and has the honor to acknowledge receipt of his note of October 16, 1937,2 stating that the Royal Belgian Government, at the request of the British Government and with the approval of the Government of the United States, proposes to the States signatory

2 Department of State Conference Series No. 37, The Conference of Brussels, November 3-24, 1937, Convened in Virtue of Article 7 of the Nine-Power Treaty of Washington of 1922 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1938), p. 6.

to the Treaty of February 6, 1922, that they meet in Brussels on October 30 for the purpose of examining, in conformity with Article VII of that Treaty, the situation in the Far East, and of studying peaceable means of hastening an end of the regrettable conflict which prevails there.

The Government of the United States is glad to accept this invitation and the President has designated the Honorable Norman H. Davis as the delegate of the United States. The American delegation will sail from New York on the Steamship Washington on October 20th next.

WASHINGTON, October 16, 1937.

793.94 Conference/41: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

TOKYO, October 18, 1937-10 a. m. [Received October 17-11:45 p. m.]

479. Embassy's 476 [475], October 15, 5 p. m., paragraph 2, Nine Power Treaty Conference. It may be well to record that one of the arguments which I used in my conversation with Hirota was that the proposed Conference would offer Japan a forum to present the views for which purpose it is sending so-called good will envoys to America and Europe.

GREW

793.94 Conference/44: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

NANKING, October 18, 1937-1 p. m. [Received October 18-7 a. m.]

822. We are informed by official of Foreign Office that China's acceptance of invitation to Nine Power Conference was despatched yesterday in following terms.

"The Chinese Government accepts the invitation thus extended by the Belgian Government and expresses the hope that the labors of the proposed Conference will be crowned with success so that peace will soon be re-established in this part of the world on the basis of international law and justice."

Sent Department. Repeated Peiping, Tokyo.

JOHNSON

793.94 Conference/73c

The Secretary of State to Mr. Norman H. Davis

WASHINGTON, October 18, 1937.

SIR: A conference having been called of the parties signatory to the Nine Power Treaty signed at Washington February 6, 1922, and the Government of the United States having received and accepted an invitation to participate in this conference, you are to represent the United States.

You will recall that the invitation extended to this Government by the Belgian Government states that the purpose of the conference is "to examine the situation in the Far East and to study peaceable means of hastening the end of the regrettable conflict which prevails there".

You will in your participation in this conference be guided in general by the outline of principles made public on behalf of this Government by the Secretary of State on July 16, 1937, and the further statement of policy made by the Secretary of State on August 23, 1937.

You will have constantly in mind the character and scope of this country's interest in peace in the Pacific and the Far East as evidenced by the Washington Conference treaties, and especially the rights and interests of the United States under the Nine Power Treaty; the substance and purport of the statement of this Government's position made by the Secretary of State on October 6; 3 also statements relating to foreign policy made by the President in his address at Chicago on October 5 and in his broadcast from Washington on October 12.5 You will bear in mind that the first objective of the foreign policy of this country is national security, and that consequently we seek to keep peace and to promote the maintenance of peace; that we believe in cooperative effort for the preservation of peace by pacific and practicable means; and that this country has as a signatory of the Pact of Paris of 1928 renounced war as an instrument of national policy and pledged itself to resort for settlement of disputes to none but pacific means. You will bear in mind also that public opinion in the United States has expressed its emphatic determination that the United States keep out of war.

It is the hope of this Government that the conference may be able to achieve results which will contribute toward permanent stability and peace in the Far East. In the concept of this Government, the primary function of the conference is to provide a forum for constructive

'Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931-1941, vol. 1, p. 396.

* Ibid., p. 379.

B

discussion, to formulate and suggest possible bases of settlement, and to endeavor to bring the parties together through peaceful negotiation. Copies of the documents referred to hereinbefore are attached for convenience of reference.

Very truly yours,

793.94 Conference/73d

CORDELL HULL

Memorandum From the File of President Roosevelt's Secretary'

[Undated.]

It should be recognized by the British Cabinet that there is such a thing as public opinion in the United States, as well as in other nations.

That it is necessary for Mr. Davis and for his associates in the Nine Power meeting to make it clear at every step:

(a) That the United States is in no way, and will not be in any way, a part to joint action with the League of Nations.

(b) That the United States policy does not envisage the United States being pushed out in front as the leader in, or suggestor of, future action.

(c) That on the other side of the picture, the United States cannot afford to be made, in popular opinion at home, a tail to the British kite, as has been charged and is now being charged by the Hearst press and others.

The point to be made clear is that the United States proposes in general as the basis of discussion, the same policy which has proved so successful among the twenty-one American Republics-no one nation going out to take the lead-no one nation, therefore, in a position to have a finger of fear or scorn pointed at it. The South American agreements were based on equality of the United States with the smallest and weakest Republics, and future action in affairs involving the American hemisphere was agreed to simultaneously and jointly by all the American Republics.

In the present Far Eastern situation it is visualized that whatever proposals are advanced at Brussels and whatever action comes out of Brussels, the proposals and the action should represent, first, the substantial unanimous opinion of the nations meeting at Brussels, and later the substantial unanimous opinion of the overwhelming majority of all nations, whether in or out of the League of Nations.

It is especially important that the British Government understand this point of view.

'Photostatic copy from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park, N. Y.; apparently memorandum of views for Norman H. Davis who visited the President at Hyde Park before attending the Brussels Conference. (See telegram No. 8, November 1, 1 p. m., from Mr. Davis, p. 132.)

We naturally, because we have got a decent community of interest in the preservation of peace in the Far East and adherence to law, want to cooperate wholeheartedly with the British, but it must be an independent cooperation, neither one trying to force the other into something. This means that final resulting action can perfectly well be identical, though not necessarily joint.

793.94 Conference/48: Telegram

The Chargé in Italy (Reed) to the Secretary of State

ROME, October 18, 1937-6 p. m. [Received October 18-2:48 p. m.]

444. My No. 441, October 14, 6 p. m. I was told at the Foreign Office today that the Italian Government had received two invitations to the proposed Nine Power Conference, one from the Agha Khan 3 and on Saturday last one from the Belgian Government. The Italian Government will probably not acknowledge the receipt of the first invitation as in its opinion the Nine Power Treaty is not a proper concern of the League of Nations. To the Belgian Government's invitation, however, the Italian Government is giving its very careful and sympathetic consideration. My informant stated that no definite decision would be taken until his Government had ascertained Japan's intentions in the matter but even if Japan rejected the invitation he thought it very likely that the Italian Government would attend the Conference if for no other reason than to point out to the other nations there represented the impossibility, in the absence of Japanese participation, of accomplishing anything useful or practical. I was also told that both the Belgian and British Governments had furnished assurances that arrangements would be made as soon as the Conference convened to invite the German and Soviet Governments to participate in the deliberations.

REED

793.94 Conference/45: Telegram

The Ambassador in Belgium (Gibson) to the Secretary of State

BRUSSELS, October 18, 1937-6 p. m. [Received October 18-3 p. m.]

93. My telegram No. 88, October 15, 9 p. m. Learn from Foreign Office that acceptances have been received from the following countries: Great Britain, Canada, France, China. No refusals have been

Indian representative to the League Assembly at Geneva. 'Not printed.