Office of the Historian

710.11/190½

President Wilson to the Secretary of State

28 January, 1915.

My Dear Mr. Secretary: You will remember that when you and Mr. Lansing and I discussed the Pan-American agreement you asked me to send you a copy and to add a fourth Article, embodying the substance of our recent peace treaties.

I have literally not had time until to-day to set about this, and now that I have begun I find myself at a loss as to just how to phrase it. Will you not be kind enough to complete what I have here (in the enclosed) begun and let me have it at your early convenience in order that we may push forward this important business?

Faithfully Yours,

Woodrow Wilson
[Enclosure]

Draft Article for Proposed Pan-American Treaty1a

That the high contracting parties further agree that all questions, of whatever character, arising between any two or more of them which cannot be settled by the ordinary means of diplomatic correspondence shall be submitted, first, to a permanent commission for investigation and, second, if the dispute is not adjusted through investigation to arbitration, provided that the question in dispute does not affect the honor independence or vital interests of the contracting parties or the interests of third parties, and the parties to this convention hereby agree where it has not already been done to enter into treaties, each with all the others severally, carrying out the provisions of this article.

  1. The portion of this article which is here italicized was written by President Wilson; the remainder of the article was written by Secretary Bryan.↩