Many times I have expressed my desire to see the work of the Washington
Conference on Limitation of Armaments appropriately supplemented by further
agreements for a further reduction M for the purpose of diminishing the
menace and waste of the competition in preparing instruments of
international war. It has been and is my expectation that we might
hopefully approach other great powers for further conference on this
subject as soon as the carrying out of the present reparation plan as the
established and settled policy of Europe has created a favorable
opportunity. But on account of proposals which have already been made by
other governments for a European conference, it will be necessary to wait
to see what the outcome of their actions may be. I should not wish to
propose or have representatives attend a conference which would contemplate
commitments opposed to the freedom of action we desire to maintain
unimpaired with respect to our purely domestic policies.