Paris Peace Conf. 182/6

The Secretary of State to Dr. S. E. Mezes

My Dear Doctor Mezes: In compliance with your request of November 19th I am sending you the proposed agreement between this Government and other American Republics which was under consideration about a year-and-a-half ago. You will observe it is in the form of what might be called a “Pan American Treaty”.6

I assume you understand that this is of a most confidential nature and for the present I prefer you not to show it to anyone else and certainly not without having discussed the matter with me.

Very sincerely yours,

Robert Lansing
[Enclosure]

Draft of Proposed Pan American Treaty

The Governments of the United States of America, the Argentine Republic, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, etc.,

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Fully determined to maintain their territorial integrity and their political independence under republican forms of Government;

Desirous to define exactly the boundaries of their respective territories and to remove any doubts, uncertainties, or disputes that may exist as to their territorial limits, in order that their territorial integrity and their political independence under republican forms of government may be effectively, mutually and jointly guaranteed;

Anxious to settle by peaceable means all controversies that may arise between them or any of them, and by so doing to advance the cause of international justice; and

Resolved not merely to preserve peace between themselves, but also to maintain peace within their respective boundaries,

Have decided to conclude a treaty for these purposes, and to that end have appointed as their plenipotentiaries:

  • The Government of the United States of America:
  • The Government office the Argentine Republic:
  • Etc., etc.,

Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon the following articles:

Article I

The High Contracting Parties to this solemn covenant and agreement hereby join one another in a common and mutual guarantee of territorial integrity and of political independence under republican forms of government.

Article II

To give definitive application to the guarantee set forth in Article I, the High Contracting Parties severally covenant to endeavor forthwith to reach a settlement of all disputes as to boundaries or territory now pending between them by amicable agreement or by means of international arbitration.

Article III

The High Contracting Parties further agree: First, 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, before any declaration of war or beginning of hostilities, be first submitted to a permanent international commission for investigation, one year being allowed for such investigation; and, Second, that if the dispute is not settled by investigation, to submit the same to arbitration, provided the question in dispute does not affect the honor, independence, or vital interests of the nations concerned or the interests of third parties.

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Article IV

To the end that domestic tranquility may prevail within their territories the High Contracting Parties further severally covenant and agree that they will not permit the departure from their respective jurisdictions of any military or naval expedition hostile to the established government of any of the High Contracting Parties, and that they will prevent the exportation from their respective jurisdictions of arms, ammunition or other munitions of war destined to or for the use of any person or persons notified to be in insurrection or revolt against the established government of any of the High Contracting Parties, provided, however, that a state of belligerency has not been recognized by any one of the High Contracting Parties.

The present treaty shall be ratified as soon as possible, in accordance with the constitutional laws and provisions of each of the contracting countries; the ratifications thereof shall be deposited at a date to be agreed upon in the office of the Pan American Union in the City of Washington, United States of America; and the treaty shall take effect as between the high contracting parties sixty days from the date of deposit of ratifications thereof.

The treaty shall continue in effect indefinitely.

In the event of one of the contracting powers wishing to denounce the present treaty, the denunciation shall be notified in writing to the Government of the United States of America, which shall immediately communicate a duly certified copy of the notification to all the other contracting parties, informing them of the date on which it was received.

The denunciation shall only have effect in regard to the notifying country, and then only one year after the notification has reached the Government of the United States.

This treaty is concluded for a period of years and shall be continued for similar periods of years unless it is terminated by agreement of all the contracting parties.

The treaty may be denounced by any of the contracting parties, but the denunciation to be effective must be made in writing, one year before the expiration of the period for which the treaty has been concluded, or one year before the expiration of the period for which it has been renewed, to the Government of the United States, which shall immediately communicate a duly certified copy of the notification to all the other contracting parties, informing them of the date on which it was received.

The denunciation shall only have effect in regard to the notifying country, and then only one year after the notification has reached the Government of the United States.

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In faith whereof the plenipotentiaries have signed the present convention and have hereunto affixed their respective seals.

Done in the City of Washington, in the United States of America, this day of, in the Spanish, English, French and Portuguese languages, the originals of which shall remain in the archives of the Pan American Union and copies thereof duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channels to the High Contracting Parties.