to the interpretation which is given therein to the provisions of the proposed pact, and that it is accordingly ready to sign this pact in the form now proposed. Accept [etc.] SCHUBERT 711.5112France/373: Telegram The Ambassador in France (Herrick) to the Secretary of State PARIS, July 14, 1928–5 p. m. 193. Following is translation of note received at 4 o'clock from the Foreign Office: "Mr. Ambassador: By your letter of June 23 last Your Excellency was good enough to transmit to me a revised text of the draft treaty for the renunciation of war accompanied by the interpretations given to it by the United States. I beg you to convey to the Government of the United States the interest with which the Government of the Republic has taken cognizance of this new communication, which is suited to facilitate the signature of the treaty whose successful conclusion is equally close to the hearts of the French and American nations. First of all it follows from the new preamble that the proposed treaty indeed aims at the perpetuation of the pacific and friendly relations under the contractual conditions in which they are today established between the interested nations; that it is essentially a question for the signatory powers of renouncing war 'as an instrument of their national policy;' and also that the signatory power which hereafter might seek by itself resorting to war to promote its own national interests, should be denied the benefits of the treaty. The Government of the Republic is happy to declare that it is in accord with these new stipulations. The Government of the Republic is happy moreover to take note of the interpretations which the Government of the United States gives to the new treaty with a view to satisfying the various observations which had been formulated from the French point of view. These interpretations may be resumed as follows: Nothing in the new treaty restrains or compromises in any manner whatsoever the right of self-defense. Each nation in this respect will always remain free to defend its territory against attack or invasion; it alone is competent to decide whether circumstances require recourse to war in self-defense. Secondly, none of the provisions of the new treaty is in opposition to the provisions of the Covenant of the League of Nations nor with those of the Locarno treaties or the treaties of neutrality. Moreover, any violation of the new treaty by one of the contracting parties would automatically release the other contracting powers from their obligations to the treaty-breaking state. "Telegram in four sections. Finally, the signature which the Government of the United States has now offered to all the signatory powers of the treaties concluded at Locarno and which it is disposed to offer to all powers parties to treaties of neutrality, as well as the adherence made possible to other powers, is of a nature to give the new treaty, in as full measure as can practically be desired, the character of generality which accords with the views of the Government of the Republic. Thanks to the clarifications given by the new preamble and thanks moreover to the interpretations given to the treaty, the Government of the Republic congratulates itself that the new convention is compatible with the obligations of existing treaties to which France is otherwise a contracting party, and the integral respect of which is necessarily imperatively imposed upon her by good faith and loyalty. In this situation and under these circumstances, the Government of the Republic is happy to be able to declare to the Government of the United States that it is now entirely disposed to sign the treaty as proposed by the letter of Your Excellency of June 23, 1928. At the moment of thus assuring its contribution to the realization of a long-matured project, all the moral significance of which it had gauged from the beginning, the Government of the Republic desires to render homage to the generous spirit in which the Government of the United States has conceived this new manifestation of human fraternity, which eminently conforms to the profound aspirations of the French people as well as of the American people and responds to the sentiment, more and more widely shared among peoples, of international solidarity. Please accept, etc., (signed) Aristide Briand, Paris, July 14, 1928." HERRICK 711.6512Anti-War/60: Telegram The Ambassador in Italy (Fletcher) to the Secretary of State ROME, July 15, 1928-2 p. m. [Received July 15-1:11 p. m.] 72. I quote in translation the text of the reply, dated today, of the Italian Government to my note of June 23 regarding the anti-war treaty: "Excellency: I have the honor to refer to the letter which, under instructions of your Government, Your Excellency addressed to me under date of the 23rd of June last and to ask Your Excellency to inform your Government as follows: The Royal Government, which has attentively examined the last draft of a treaty for the elimination of war proposed by the United States, takes note of and agrees with the interpretation of the said treaty which the Government of the United States sets forth in the above-mentioned note of June 23rd last and on this premise declares that it is disposed to proceed to the signature thereof. I am happy to take this occasion to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of my highest consideration. (Signed) Mussolini." FLETCHER 711.41 d 12Anti-War/14: Telegram The Minister in the Irish Free State (Sterling) to the Secretary of State DUBLIN, July 16, 1928-9 a. m. [Received July 16-8:50 a. m.] [14.] I have received the following note from the Minister for External Affairs. Unless you advise to the contrary he proposes to publish it in local papers Tuesday morning: "14 July, 1928. Excellency: Your Excellency's note of the 23rd June enclosing a revised draft of proposed treaty for the renunciation of war has been carefully studied by the Government of the Irish Free State. As I informed you in my note of the 30th May, the Government of the Irish Free State were prepared to accept unreservedly the draft treaty proposed by your Government on the 13th April, holding, as they did, that neither their right of self-defense nor their commitments under the Covenant of the League of Nations were in any way prejudiced by its terms. The draft treaty as revised is equally acceptable to the Government of the Irish Free State, and I have the honor to inform you that they are prepared to sign it in conjunction with such other governments as may be so disposed. As the effectiveness of the proposed treaty as an instrument for the suppression of war depends to a great extent upon its universal application, the Government of the Irish Free State hope that the treaty may meet with the approbation of the other governments to whom it has been sent and that it may subsequently be accepted by all the other powers of the world. Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurance of my highest consideration. P. McGilligan." STERLING 711.5212Anti-War/12: Telegram The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick) [Paraphrase] WASHINGTON, July 16, 1928-11 a.m. 218. Press reports yesterday stated that this Government had invited Spain to become an original signatory to the anti-war treaty. This report is incorrect. I should not invite anyone without first consulting the other powers, France especially. The Spanish Ambassador requested us to send his Government a copy of my last note, and said that Spain would like to be invited to sign the treaty as an original party. I told Señor Padilla that I could not extend such an invitation, but that after the other five powers had agreed on the form of a treaty we would bring the subject before them for consideration. In my telegram No. 198, July 5, noon," I asked that you request our Ambassador in Spain to present to the Minister for Foreign Affairs a copy of our latest note, so that the Spanish Government may have a complete copy of all correspondence up to present time. Repeat to Madrid for information of Ambassador. KELLOGG 711.0012Anti-War/69: Telegram The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick) [Paraphrase] WASHINGTON, July 17, 1928—7 p.m. 221. This morning the French Ambassador came in and read me portions of a telegram in which his Government had instructed him to ask whether it would be satisfactory to have the signature of the treaty renouncing war take place approximately August 25. I said I was grateful for the expressions of good will of M. Briand and I would be exceedingly happy to mark the significance of the occasion by signing the treaty in Paris at about that time; but I said I did not wish to do this unless all the European Foreign Ministers concerned should also be present to sign at the same time. I told him naturally I was not sure that the Japanese Foreign Minister could get there, but this was not absolutely essential. The Ambassador said he thought that the Foreign Ministers of all countries would be indeed glad to have an opportunity of proclaiming their allegiance to the idea of the treaty and that the necessary steps to sound out the Foreign Ministers would be undertaken by the French Government. As I previously explained to him, I should naturally be glad to in.vite all of them to sign in Washington if they so wished. KELLOGG 711.4212Anti-War/42 The Chargé in Canada (Baldwin) to the Secretary of State No. 529 OTTAWA, July 17, 1928. SIR: Referring to the Legation's telegrams No. 155 of July 17, 2 p. m., and No. 156 of July 17, 4 p. m.,95 I have the honor to transmit herewith enclosed a copy of a note received from W. L. Mackenzie King, Secretary of State for External Affairs, stating that His Majesty's Government in Canada cordially accepts the Treaty as revised and is prepared to participate in its signature. "Not printed. Neither printed. Since the Canadian Government does not desire that its reply be published before that of the British Government, it has been agreed that the Canadian reply will be released for publication in the morning newspapers of Thursday, July 19. I have [etc.] [Enclosure] LAVERNE BALDWIN The Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mackenzie King) to the American Minister (Phillips) OTTAWA, 16 July, 1928. SIR: I desire to acknowledge your note of June 23rd and the revised draft which it contained of the Treaty for the Renunciation of War, and to state that His Majesty's Government in Canada cordially accepts the Treaty as revised and is prepared to participate in its signature. Accept [etc.] 711.4112Anti-War/154: Telegram W. L. MACKENZIE KING The Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton) to the Secretary of State [Paraphrase] LONDON, July 18, 1928—11 a. m. [p. m?] 168. This morning Chamberlain handed me the British reply to our note, together with the replies of Governments of Australia, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. Chamberlain stated that he was fully in sympathy with this movement initiated by France, and that his careful study of the pact and his "methods" leading up to its acceptance were for purpose of insuring whole-hearted cooperation with the United States. He said that the British Government was delighted to join with that of the United States in this movement especially as he felt that it marked the definite participation by the United States in the question of world peace. Furthermore he felt that the potentialities of the pact were very great. I replied that I thought that the conclusion of the pact would mark a new era. Chamberlain said that his feeling was that force of the pact lay in attitude of the United States towards any nation breaking it; if, he said, the utterances of our leading statesmen, writers, and the American press should indicate that any nation which violated the pact would be condemned as merely "naughty" and the United States should continue at the same time to export material to the country breaking the pact, its effect would be slight. On the other hand, if the American attitude were to be indicated by the statesmen, the press, |