Directory_and_Chronicle_1935 — Page 169

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KELLOGG PACT

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States but also Japan, the British Empire and all the Governments which participated with France and Great Britain in the Locarno agreements, namely, Belgium, Czecho-Slovakia, Germany, Italy, and Poland. This procedure met the point raised by the British Government in its note of May 19, 1928, where it stated that the treaty from its very nature was not one which concerned that Government alone but was one in which that Government could not undertake to participate otherwise than jointly and simultaneously with the Government in the Dominions and the Government of India; it also settled satisfactorily the question whether there was any inconsistency between the new treaty and the treaties of Locarno, thus meeting the observations of the French Govern- ment as to the necessity of extending the number of original signatories.

The decision to limit the original signatories to the Powers named above, that is, to the United States, Japan, the parties to the Locarno treaties, the British Dominions, and India was based entirely upon practical considerations. It was the desire of the United States that the negotiations be successfully con- cluded at the earliest possible moment and that the treaty become operative without the delay that would inevitably result were prior universal acceptance made a condition precedent to its coming into force. My Government felt, moreover, that if these Powers could agreed upon a simple renunciation of war as an instrumtnt of national policy, there could be no doubt that most if not all the other Powers of the world would find the formula equally acceptable and would hasten to lend their unqualified support to so impressive a nove ment for the perpetuation of peace. The United States has, however, been anxious from the beginning that no state should feel deprived of an opport- unity to participate promptly in the new treaty and thus not only align itself formally and solemnly with this new manifestation of the popular demand for world peace but also avail itself of the identical benefits enjoyed by the original signatories. Accordingly, in the draft treaty proposed by it, the United States made specific provision for participation in the treaty by any and every Power desiring to identify itself therewith and this same provision is found in the definitive instrument signed to-day in Paris. It will also be observed that the Powers signing the treaty have recorded in the preamble their hope that every nation of the world will participate in the treaty and in that connection I am happy to be able to report that my Government has already received from several Governments informal indications that they are prepared to do so at the earliest possible moment. This convincing evidence of the world wide interest and sympathy which the new treaty has evoked is most gratifying to all the Governments concerned.

In these circumstances I have the honour formally to communicate to Your Excellency for your consideration, and for the approval of your Gov- ernment, if it concurs therein, the text of the above-mentioned treaty as signed to-day in Paris, omitting only that part of the preamble which names the several plenipotentiaries. The text is as follows:

"The President of the German Reich, the President of the United States of America, His Majesty the King of the Belgians, the President of the French Republic, His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, His Majesty the King of Italy, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, the President of the Republic of Poland, the President of the Czecho-Slovakian Republic, deeply sensible of their solemn duty to promote the welfare of mankind;

"Persuaded that the time has come when a frank prescription of war as an instrument of national policy should be made to the end that the peaceful and friendly relations now existing between their peoples may be perpetuated:

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"Convinced that all changes in the relations with one another should be sought only by pacific means and be the result of peaceful and orderly process and that any signatory Power which shall hereafter seek to pro- mote its national interests by resort to war should be denied the benefits furnished by this treaty;