I said "France had an allowance of 35,000tons to replace earlier capital ships in 1927, so could build two of these small battlecruisers then."
DL said "France and Italy were allowed to replace two old battleships each for a total of 70,000 tons per country."
Both correct. The 1922 Washington Treaty had a general 10 year restriction on replacement of existing ships retained under the Treaty, but exceptions negotiated for France and Italy allowed them each to build 35,000tons of capital ships in 1927, and a further 35,000 tons in 1929. France's two ships replaced were
Jean Bart and
Courbet, scrapped in 1930. I chose to mention only the 1927 quota not just to keep the post short, but to make clear in reply to
seeker36340 why the battlecruiser design was called for in 1926 when
Deutschland was not laid down until 1929.
The Treaty would allow France to build four ships of 17,500tons or three ships of (strictly) 23,333 tons in 1929 (or of course by then two ships at the Treaty limit of 35,000tons each) with further tranches of 35000tons from 1931 onwards as existing ships reached the general replacement age of 20 years. (To do that in full of course needed dock resources and money.
Dunkerque was not laid down until December 1932;
Strasbourg in November 1934.)
France's capital ship replacement schedule under the Washington Treaty is to be found at
http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/pre-war/1922/fr_tabl.html
I will stay tuned.