for the admittance of American aircraft into this country [i.e., the Netherlands proper, but not Netherland possessions].

Having taken note of Articles 6 and 15 of the Air Navigation Act,

HAS APPROVED THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS:

I. Without prejudice to what is laid down in Article 11 of the Air Navigation Act, exemption is granted from the prohibition clauses contained in Articles 6 and 15 of the Air Navigation Act on behalf of aircraft, provided they are not transport aeroplanes, registered in the Air Navigation Register of the United States of America, provided the following conditions are complied with:

1. The planes must bear the registration marks that are allotted by the competent authority in the United States of America, as well as all other marks that are required by the air navigation legislation of that country.

2. The planes must be provided with valid certificates of registration and airworthiness issued or declared to be valid by the United States of America and they must carry aircraft, engine, and journey log books.

3. The pilots must be provided with valid certificates of competence, issued or declared valid by the United States of America.

4. The other members of the crews of aircraft must have documents in their possession showing their duties on board, their calling, identity and nationality. In so far as they do work on board for which a special license is required in the United States of America they must be provided with licenses issued or declared to be valid by the competent authorities there.

5. No installation for the transmission of wireless reports of any nature whatsoever shall be carried without special permission issued by the competent authorities in the United States of America. Such installations may only be used by members of the crews who are provided with a special license issued for that purpose by the competent authorities in the United States of America.

II. This decree comes into effect on the date of its signature. It shall lapse on the date when the Air Navigation Agreement mentioned at the beginning hereof shall come into force.

THE HAGUE, February 23, 1933.

For the Minister:
The Secretary General
G. VAN DER MEULEN.

THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PRIVATE AERIAL LAW *

4

The Government of the United States has accepted the invitation of the Italian Government to be represented at the Third International Conference on Private Aerial Law, to be convened in Rome, Italy, on May 15, 1933.

& The American Legation at The Hague has been informed by the Netherland authorities that the term "transport aeroplanes" means aircraft used in the commercial transportation of goods or persons.

• See Bulletin No. 40, January 1933, p. 18.

The American delegation will consist of the following persons:

Chairman of the delegation:

John C. Cooper, Jr., of Jacksonville, Fla.

Other delegates:

Theodore Jaeckel, American consul general at Rome

John J. Ide, technical assistant in Europe for the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

Alternate delegate:

Harold H. Tittman, first secretary of the Embassy at Rome

Mr. Cooper is chairman of the Committee on Aeronautical Law of the American Bar Association, is a former president of the Florida State Bar Association, and is one of the American members of the Comité International Technique D'Experts Juridiques Aériens (International Technical Committee of Aerial Legal Experts), which drew up the draft conventions on which final action will be taken at the conference to be convened in Rome on May 15, 1933. These conventions relate to (1) precautionary attachment of aircraft' and (2) liability for damages caused by aircraft to third parties on the surface."

Mr. Jaeckel is a member of the bar of the State of New York and practiced law before taking the examination for the Foreign Service.

Mr. Ide has attended many international aeronautical conferences, including conferences at which questions of air law have been considered, and is thoroughly familiar with the work of these conferences.

The First International Conference on Private Aerial Law, at which the United States was represented by observers, was held in Paris in 1925. After general discussions on the subject of private aerial law, it was decided to organize an International Technical Committee of Aerial Legal Experts which should meet from time to time and engage in the preparation of a comprehensive code of private aerial law through the submission of draft conventions on this subject to be considered at international conferences called for the purpose of taking final action thereon. The United States makes an annual contribution toward the expenses of this committee, and the American experts have participated to some extent, through correspondence, in the studies which have been undertaken.

The Second International Conference on Private Aerial Law was held in Warsaw, Poland, in October 1929. The delegates to that conference adopted a convention for the unification of certain rules relative to the liability of the aerial carrier, to which convention 10

5 For text, see Bulletin No. 36, September 1932, p. 13.

6 For text, see ibid.,

p. 14.

7 For text, see Supplement to Bulletin of Treaty Information, No. 7, September 1929. See also Bulletin No. 42, March 1933, p. 12.

countries are now parties. The Warsaw convention has to do with questions of liability where there is a contractual relationship, as between the aerial carrier and passengers or shippers. At this conference the United States was represented by an observer and did not sign the convention adopted nor has it since adhered thereto.

The draft convention relating to liability for damages caused by aircraft to third parties on the surface, to be considered at Rome, has to do particularly with damages caused to third persons and to their property on the ground resulting from the flight of aircraft. This convention would supplement the Warsaw convention by the adoption of rules of liability to be applied in cases of damages caused to third persons on the surface or to their properties in cases where there is no contractual relationship with the air transport carrier.

The draft convention relative to precautionary attachment of aircraft to be considered at Rome has to do with the rules to be applied in cases where it is sought to attach aircraft for debts.

In view of the growing importance of the codification of international private aerial law to American aviation interests, it was decided to have the United States officially represented at the Rome conference by a complete delegation with full powers to sign the conventions to be adopted at that conference.

COMMERCE

MONETARY AND ECONOMIC CONFERENCE

For particulars in regard to the issuance of invitations to 53 governments to participate at Washington in preliminary conversations. preparatory to the World Economic Conference to be held at London, and in regard to their replies, see the section of this Bulletin headed "Finance."

CUSTOMS

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SIMPLIFICATION OF CUSTOMS FORMALITIES 8

Syria and the Lebanon

According to a circular letter dated March 21, 1933, from the League of Nations, the accession of the Government of France, acting in its capacity of mandatory power, for Syria and the Lebanon, to the international convention relating to the simplification of customs formalities and to the protocol relating thereto, of November 3, 1923, was recorded in the Secretariat on March 9, 1933.

See Bulletin No. 26, November 1931, p. 9.

FINANCE

MONETARY AND ECONOMIC CONFERENCE

CONVERSATIONS AT WASHINGTON PREPARATORY TO THE WORLD ECONOMIC CONFERENCE AT LONDON

The United States Government extended invitations to 53 governments to participate at Washington in preliminary conversations preparatory to the World Economic Conference to be held at London during the coming summer.

Of these governments, 11 were invited by telegraph and (with the exception of Chile) accepted the invitation, naming representatives as follows:

Argentina. Representatives: Mr. Thomas Le Breton, Argentine Ambassador to France, and Mr. Felipe Espil, Argentine Ambassador to the United States.

Brazil. Representative: Mr. J. F. de Assis Brasil, Brazilian Ambassador to Argentina.

Canada. Representative: Mr. Richard Bennett, Prime Minister. China. Representative: Mr. T. V. Soong, Minister of Finance, with party of nine.

Chile. Acceptance probable.

France. Representative: M. Edouard Herriot, formerly President of the Council of Ministers, with party of five.

Germany. Representative: Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, President of the Reichsbank, with two experts.

Great Britain. Representative: Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, Prime Minister, with party of eleven.

Italy. Representative: Mr. Guido Jung, Minister of Finance, with party of eight.

Japan. Representative: Viscount Ishii, Member of the Privy Council (senior delegate) and Mr. Eigo Fukai, Deputy Governor, Bank of Japan (junior delegate), with four or more assistants.

Mexico. Representative: Mr. Pani, Minister of Finance.

On April 11, 1933, the Secretary of State sent official invitations, accompanied by a personal note, to the chiefs of mission at Washington of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Irish Free State, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Union of South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia.

See Bulletin No. 37, October 1932, p. 12.

The texts of the communications follow:

"MY DEAR MR.

"I am sending you herewith an official invitation similar to one we are addressing to all countries suggesting an early exchange of views between our two Governments before the forthcoming Economic Conference in London and hope very much that the idea will appeal to your Government. There is so short a time remaining before the probable opening of the Conference that a detailed examination with a special representative sent to this country would only seem possible with a very few countries. In the case of the others, I believe that the conversations could most usefully take place through regular Diplomatic channels, the more so as I am convinced that we can satisfactorily cover the same broad ground. I look forward therefore to receiving an expression of your Government's views whenever it is most convenient to you.

"I am, my dear Mr.

"Very sincerely yours,

[Enclosure]

CORDELL HULL"

"The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the of and has the honor to suggest the advisability of an early exchange of views preliminary to the forthcoming World Economic Conference in London. Experience has shown the wisdom of adequate preparation in advance of any international gathering, and the desirability of full and frank discussion of problems which are of common interest to the participating nations. The American Government would accordingly welcome an expression of the views of the Government on any of the items

of the agenda for the Economic Conference, and is in turn prepared to set forth its own views, thus initiating an informal discussion. "Mr. Hull does not need to reiterate the high importance the American Government attaches to the outcome of the World Economic Conference or to the resultant improvement in world trade and commerce which it anticipates. Meantime, he looks forward to the suggested interchange of opinions as a measure of cooperation which will result not only in a better understanding of the problems involved, but in the creation of a favorable public opinion, both of which should contribute to the final success of the Conference."

Acceptances have been received from the following governments and unless otherwise stated they will be represented by the head of their diplomatic mission in the United States: Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cuba (representative, Dr. Orestes Ferrara, Secretary of State), Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Honduras, Hungary, Irish Free State (representative, Senator Joseph Connolly, Minister of Lands and Fisheries), Lithuania, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Siam, Switzerland, Turkey, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia.