Ambassador Riddle to the Secretary of
State.
American Embassy,
St.
Petersburg
,
March 2,
1907
.
No. 9.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your cable instructions of the 23d ultimo, and to confirm
my cable reply of today’s date.
I communicated your instructions to the imperial ministry for foreign
affairs on the 25th ultimo. I send you for your information a copy
of my note to the minister for foreign affairs, as well as a copy
and translation of his reply, dated 16 February / 1 March, and
received to-day.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Ambassador Riddle to the Minister for
Foreign Affairs.
American Embassy,
St.
Petersburg
,
February 25,
1907
.
Excellency: Referring to the programme
of the Second Peace Conference, I have the honor to request your
excellency to be kind enough to inform me what signatory powers
have acquiesced in the formalities proposed in Baron Rosen’s
note to Mr. Root of April 12, 1906, for adhesion of the powers
which did not take part in the First Conference at The
Hague.
As was stated in Mr. Root’s reply, No. 24, of April 19, 1906,
assenting to the course proposed in Baron Rosen’s note, it is
the understanding of the United States that should the other
signatories assent to the proposal of April 12, that assent in
itself will have the effect of making it certain that the
adherence of the invited nonsignatories will be accepted and
their participation in the approaching conference be
assured.
I take this occasion to renew, etc.,
[Page 1112]
[Inclosure
2.—Translation.]
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs to Ambassador Riddle.
Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
First
Department
,
February 16 (March 1),
1907.
No. 118.]
Mr. Ambassador: In reply to your
excellency’s note of February 12 / 25th, I have the honor to
make the following communication:
In order to give to the powers which were not represented at the
First Peace Conference the possibility of taking part in the
deliberations of the Second Conference which would refer to the
convention relative to the peaceful settlement of international
conflicts, the Imperial Government has proposed that at the time
of the opening of the future conference the representatives of
the signatory powers of this convention should sign the
following protocol: “The representatives at the Second Peace
Conference of the signatory powers of the convention of 1899
relative to the peaceful settlement of international conflicts,
duly authorized to this effect, agree that, in the event of
States which were not represented at the first Peace Conference
but which have been convoked to the present conference notifying
the Government of the Netherlands of their adhesion to the
above-mentioned convention, they will be considered thereby as
having acceded to it.”
Consequently, should all the signatory powers of the convention
relative to the peaceful settlement of international conflicts
express their assent to the Russian project, and if, on their
part, the representatives of powers which did not participate in
the First Conference are provided at the time of the opening of
the Second Conference with full powers from their Governments to
adhere to the said convention, this adherence will be effected
as follows:
The representatives of the powers of the first category, at the
opening of the conference, will sign the protocol proposed by
Russia. Thereupon, the representatives of the second category
will sign the protocol of their adherence to the said
convention, after which they will immediately be allowed to
participate in all the debates of the conference, without any
distinction between them and the representatives of the powers
which participated in the conference of 1899.
Upon the receipt of Mr. Root’s note, which your excellency
quotes, the Russian Ambassador in Washington was immediately
instructed to enlighten him in the sense of the indications
given here above.
I have the honor to transmit herewith to your excellency a list
of the signatory powers of the convention for the peaceful
settlement of international conflicts which up to now have
expressed their consent to the Russian project.
I avail myself, etc.,
[Subinclosure.]
List of the signatory powers of the convention for the peaceful
settlement of international conflicts which have expressed up to
February 15 (28), 1907, their assent to the Russian project
relative to the adherence to this convention of the powers which
were not represented at the conference in 1890:
- 1.
- Germany.
- 2.
- Austria-Hungary.
- 3.
- United States of America.
- 4.
- Bulgaria.
- 5.
- Denmark.
- 6.
- Spain.
- 7.
- France.
- 8.
- Great Britain.
- 9.
- Greece.
- 10.
- Italy.
- 11.
- Japan.
- 12.
- Luxemburg.
- 13.
- Mexico.
- 14.
- Montenegro.
- 15.
- Norway.
- 16.
- Holland.
- 17.
- Persia.
- 18.
- Portugal.
- 19.
- Roumania.
- 20.
- Servia.
- 21.
- Siam.
- 22.
- Sweden.
- 23.
- Switzerland.
Apart from the powers above mentioned, the following also
participated at the Conference of 1899: Belgium, China, and
Turkey.
