Henry L. Stimson represented an American desire for power and equal standing without the expenditure needed to build to British fleet levels. The settlement allotted Britain 338,000 tons of cruisers and America 323,000, balancing more British light-cruiser tonnage against the perceived power of American eight-inch-gun cruisers. British studies favored the rate of fire of six-inch weapons at expected engagement ranges, making the visible equality less operationally equal than it appeared. The result gave Washington the prestige of parity while the Royal Navy retained a force mix its own studies considered more practical.
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Stimson secures the image of parity
American negotiators valued equal status with Britain, but the cruiser settlement gave Britain more total tonnage and potentially more useful six-inch-gun ships.