Your minute of the 29th instant¹ concerning the proposed exchange of notes between the United States Government and the United Kingdom on the interpretation of Article 19 of the Naval Treaty.

The Minister feels that no further action should be taken until we are positively requested by the United States Government to signify our assent. It would be excessive humility to send a reply directly or indirectly to a request which we have never received. For the present we can only swallow the pill and ruminate over the best method to prevent any further dose being administered. Meanwhile the verbal message which the British are conveying to the American Government will deprive them of any excuse on the grounds of ignorance or forgetfulness.