Office of the Historian

File No. 12655/434.

Ambassador Reid to the Secretary of State.

[Extract.]
American Embassy,
London, March 30, 1910.
No. 1229.]

Sir: With reference to previous correpsondence in regard to the informal negotiations which have been taking place at Paris between the delegates of the Governments of the United States of America, France, Germany, and Great Britain respecting the proposals put forward in the department’s identic circular note of October 18 last, I have the honor to inform you that I am to-day in receipt of a note from the foreign office, dated March 29 (copy inclosed), stating that the British Government has received a most satisfactory report of the result of these informal negotiations.

I have, etc.,

Whitelaw Reid.
[Page 615]
[Inclosure.]

The Minister for Foreign Affairs to Ambassador Reid.

Foreign Office,
London, March 29, 1910.

Your Excellency: With reference to my note of the 9th instant I have great pleasure in informing your excellency that I have received a most satisfactory report of the result of the informal negotiations which have taken place at Paris between the delegates of the Governments of the United States of America, France, Germany, and Great Britain respecting the proposals put forward in Mr. Secretary Knox’s identic circular note of October 18 last.

The delegates were able to adopt “ad referendum” (1) a draft additional protocol making provision for the adoption of an alternative procedure in the international prize court and (2) a draft convention for the establishment of a judicial arbitration court. It was an essential condition of their agreement that the existence of the draft convention should be kept strictly secret until the additional protocol has been signed by all the powers signatory of the prize court convention of October 18, 1907, and ratified by a sufficient number of them to allow of the nomination of nine judges and nine deputy judges.

Subject to this proviso I have the now the honor to state that His Majesty’s Government accept the text of the two above instruments as settled by the four delegates at Paris, of which copies are annexed hereto. They are, furthermore, ready, should this course recommend itself to the three other Governments, to instruct His Majesty’s minister at The Hague to support a request to be addressed by his United States colleague to the Netherlands Government that they should, as soon as may be, submit the additional protocol to the signatory powers of the prize court convention for their acceptance.

In requesting your excellency to bring the above to the notice of your Government as soon as possible, I beg you to express to them the gratification of His Majesty’s Government at the success of this cordial cooperation between them in a cause which they both have so much at heart.

I have, etc.,

(For the Secretary of State.)
W. Langley.