A generous carrier-conversion rule would favor the United States

What if only 27,000 tons of each carrier conversion counted against treaty limits and all displacement above that figure was exempt?

The United States would gain freedom to build larger conversions, while Britain would lose one of the treaty mechanisms it used to limit American fleet expansion.

The proposed rule would let converted carriers exceed 27,000 tons without charging the excess against treaty allowance. This would please the United States and anger the Royal Navy. Britain regarded the treaty's accounting rules as one way to prevent the Americans from matching its overall fleet strength too easily. Altering that rule would therefore change the competitive balance, not merely the dimensions of individual carriers.