94
A
The obligations of a neutral may be summarised as
follows. There is nothing to prevent private neutral
citizens or companies selling arms to belligerents, even
to belligerent governments, and there is nothing, so
far as we know, to prevent belligerent governments from
maintaining agencies or organisations (even of a semi-
governmental character) in neutral territory for the
purpose of buying arms. On the other hand, neutral
territory must not be made a base of military operations
by either belligerent. In this connexion, a distinction
has always been drawn between the supply of ordinary
arms and ammunition to belligerents and the supply to
them of vessels of war. Military aircraft fall in the
"vessels of war" category. And a neutral government is
supposed to prevent the departure from its jurisdiction
of assembled aircraft destined for a belligerent and
equipped with armament fittings.
Yours sincerely
Cr. Orde