Treaty Series No. 609.]
By the President of the United States of America.
A PROCLAMATION.
Whereas, a Treaty between the United States of America and the French Republic looking to the advancement of the cause of general peace was concluded and signed by their respective Plenipotentiaries at Washington, on the fifteenth day of September, one thousand nine hundred and fourteen, the original of which Treaty, being in the English and French languages, is word for word as follows:
Treaty to facilitate the settlement of Disputes.
The President of the United States of America and the President of the French Republic, desiring to strengthen the friendly relations which unite their two countries and to serve the cause of general peace, have decided to conclude a treaty for these purposes and have consequently appointed the plenipotentiaries designated hereinafter, to wit:
- The President of the United States of America, the Honorable William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State of the United States; and
- The President of the French Republic, His Excellency J. J. Jusserand, Ambassador of the French Republic to the United States;
Who, after exhibiting to each other their full powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon the following articles:
Article 1.
Any disputes arising between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the French Republic, of whatever nature they may be, shall, when ordinary diplomatic proceedings have failed and the High Contracting Parties do not have recourse to arbitration, be submitted for investigation and report to a Permanent International Commission constituted in the manner prescribed in the following article.
The High Contracting Parties agree not to resort, with respect to each other, to any act of force during the investigation to be made by the Commission and before its report is handed in.
[Page 381]Article 2.
The International Commission shall be composed of five members appointed as follows: Each Government shall designate two members, only one of whom shall be of its own nationality; the fifth member shall be designated by common consent and shall not belong to any of the nationalities already represented on the Commission; he shall perform the duties of President.
In case the two Governments should be unable to agree on the choice of the fifth commissioner, the other four shall be called upon to designate him, and failing an understanding between them, the provisions of article 45 of The Hague Convention of 1907 shall be applied.
The Commission shall be organized within six months from the exchange of ratifications of the present convention.
The members shall be appointed for one year and their appointment may be renewed. They shall remain in office until superseded or reappointed, or until the work on which they are engaged at the time their office expires is completed.
Any vacancies which may arise (from death, resignation, or cases of physical or moral incapacity) shall be filled within the shortest possible period in the manner followed for the original appointment.
The High Contracting Parties shall, before designating the Commissioners, reach an understanding in regard to their compensation. They shall bear by halves the expenses incident to the meeting of the Commission.
Article 3.
In case a dispute should arise between the High Contracting Parties which is not settled by the ordinary methods, each Party shall have a right to ask that the investigation thereof be intrusted to the International Commission charged with making a report. Notice shall be given to the President of the International Commission, who shall at once communicate with his colleagues.
In the same case the President may, after consulting his colleagues and upon receiving the consent of a majority of the members of the Commission, offer the services of the latter to each of the Contracting Parties. Acceptance of that offer declared by one of the two Governments shall be sufficient to give jurisdiction of the case to the Commission in accordance with the foregoing paragraph.
The place of meeting: shall be determined by the Commission itself.
Article 4.
The two High Contracting Parties shall have a rights each on its own part, to state to the President of the Commission what is the subject-matter of the controversy. No difference in these statements, which shall be furnished by way of suggestion, shall arrest the action of the Commission.
In case the cause of the dispute should consist of certain acts already committed or about to be committed, the Commission shall as soon as possible indicate what measures to preserve the rights of each party ought in its opinion to be taken provisionally and pending the delivery of its report.
[Page 382]Article 5.
As regards the procedure which it is to follow, the Commission shall as far as possible be guided by the provisions contained in articles 9 to 36 of Convention 1 of The Hague of 1907.
The High Contracting Parties agree to afford the Commission all means and all necessary facilities for its investigation and report.
The work of the Commission shall be completed within one year from the date on which it has taken jurisdiction of the case, unless the High Contracting Parties should agree to set a different period.
The conclusion of the Commission and the terms of its report shall be adopted by a majority. The report, signed only by the President acting by virtue of his office, shall be transmitted by him to each of the Contracting Parties.
The High Contracting Parties reserve full liberty as to the action to be taken on the report of the Commission.
Article 6.
The present treaty shall be ratified by the President of the United States of America, with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, and by the President of the French Republic, in accordance with the constitutional laws of France.
It shall go into force immediately after the exchange of ratifications and shall last five years.
Unless denounced six months at least before the expiration of the said period of five years, it shall remain in force until the expiration of a period of twelve months after either party shall have notified the other of its intention to terminate it.
In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the present treaty and have affixed thereunto their seals.
Done at Washington this 15th day of September, in the year nineteen hundred and fourteen.
| [seal.] | William Jennings Bryan |
| [seal.] | Jusserand |
And whereas, the said Treaty has been duly ratified on both parts and the ratifications of the two governments were exchanged in the City of Washington, on the twenty-second day of January, one thousand nine hundred and fifteen;
Now, therefore, be it known that I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, have caused the said Treaty to be made public, to the end that the same and every article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
By the President:
W. J. Bryan
Secretary of State.