An item referred to tidings received from Geneva, Switzerland a day earlier that the naval commission was the first of the technical commission to report to the common commission about the attack weapons issue. The concept of the editors commission was approved in a public meeting approved. Just like some weeks earlier became clear was the commission not able to come with an unanimous answer about the attack value of the different warships. The result was a report filled with conflicting opinions of the several delegations although sometimes ending in the same answer.(1)
Dealing with the topic battleships stated the USA, England and Japan that this type of ships was the base of their defence. Strangely enough these countries also stated that battleships were not the most dangerous attack weapons. Italy, supported by Argentina, Germany, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain and Sweden stated the opposite. Later supported also Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia the Italian opinion. The result was that 17 countries did not agreed with the USA, Japan and England about the combat value of battleships. On the other hand was no accordance under these 17 countries what the minimum tonnage of a battleship was to consider it as an offensive weapon. The major part of the 17 countries was that all battleships above the 10.000 tons were offensive except for France which did not specify the minimum tonnage.
Note
1. The must be the World Disarmament Conference also called Geneva Disarmament Conference or the Conference for the Reduction and Limitations of Armaments 1932-1934 as a effort of the League of Nations to prevent a arms race and even an increase of the armed forces. The withdrawal of Germany from the Conference in October 1933 was in fact an end of the effort.
