Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, Volume III

Paris Peace Conf. 180.0201/11

Peace Congress (Versailles), Protocol No. 2, Plenary Session of June 28, 1919

Versailles, June 28, 1919, 3 p.m.

Signature of the Treaty of Peace Between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany

The Plenipotentiaries of the Powers hereinafter enumerated met in the Galerie des Glaces at the Château de Versailles, in order to sign the Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. Their seals had been previously affixed to this instrument.

The Session is opened at 15 o’clock (3 p.m.) under the presidency of Mr. Georges Clemenceau, President.

Present
- For the United States of America:
  - The President of the United States.
  - Honorable Robert Lansing.
  - Honorable Henry White.
  - Honorable Edward M. House.
  - General Tasker H. Bliss.
- For the British Empire:
- great britain:
  - The Rt. Hon. David Lloyd George.
  - The Rt. Hon. A. J. Balfour.
  - The Rt. Hon. A. Bonar Law.
  - The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Milner, G. C. B., G. C. M. G., Secretary of State for the Colonies.
  - The Rt. Hon. G. N. Barnes.
- Dominions and India:
- canada:
  - The Hon. C. J. Doherty, Minister of Justice.
  - The Hon. Arthur L. Sifton.
- australia:
  - The Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes.
  - The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Cook.
- south africa:
  - General the Rt. Hon. Louis Botha.
  - Lieut-General the Rt. Hon. J. C. Smuts.
- new zealand:
  - The Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey.
- india:
  - The Rt. Hon. E. S. Montagu, M. P., Secretary of State for India.
  - Major-General His Highness Sir Ganga Singh, Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner.
- For France:
  - Mr. Georges Clemenceau.
  - Mr. Pichon.
  - Mr. L. L. Klotz.
  - Mr. A. Tardieu.
  - Mr. Jules Cambon.
- For Italy:
  - Baron S. Sonnino, Deputy.
  - The Marquis G. Imperiali, Senator, Ambassador of His Majesty the King of Italy at London.
  - Mr. S. Crespi, Deputy.
- For Japan:
  - Marquis Saionji.
  - Baron Makino.
  - Viscount Chinda.
  - Mr. K. Matsui.
  - Mr. H. Ijuin.
- For Belgium:
  - Mr. Hymans.
  - Mr. van den Heuvel.
  - Mr. Vandervelde.
- For Bolivia:
  - Mr. Isniaël Montes, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Bolivia at Paris.
- For Brazil:
  - Mr. Pandia Calogeras.
  - Mr. Rodrigo Octavio L. de Menezes, Professor of International Law at Rio de Janeiro.
- For Cuba:
  - Mr. Antonio Sanchez de Bustamante.
- For Ecuador:
  - Mr. Dorn y de Alsua, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Ecuador at Paris.
- For Greece:
  - Mr. Eleftherios Veniselos.
  - Mr. Nicolas Politis.
- For Guatemala:
  - Mr. Joaquín Mendéz.
- For Haiti:
  - Mr. Tertullien Guilbaud.
- For the Hedjaz:
  - Mr. Rustem Haïdar.
  - Mr. Abdul Hadi Aouni.
- For Honduras:
  - Dr. Policarpo Bonilla.
- For Liberia:
  - Hon. C. D. B. King.
- For Nicaragua:
  - Mr. Salvador Chamorro.
- For Panama:
  - Mr. Antonio Burgos.
- For Peru:
  - Mr. Carlos G. Candamo, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Peru at Paris.
- For Poland:
  - Mr. Roman Dmowski.
  - Mr. Ignace Paderewski.
- For Portugal:
  - Dr. Affonso Costa.
  - Mr. Augusto Soares.
- For Roumania:
  - Mr. Jean J. C. Bratiano.
  - General Constantin Coanda, Corps Commander, A. D. C. to the King, formerly President of the Council of Ministers.
- For the Serb-Croat-Slovene State:
  - Mr. N. P. Pachitch.
  - Mr. Ante Trumbitch.
  - Mr. Milenko R. Vesnitch.
- For Siam:
  - Prince Charoon.
  - Prince Traidos Prabandhu.
- For the Czecho-Slovak Republic:
  - Mr. Charles Kramar.
  - Mr. Edouard Benes.
- For Uruguay:
  - Mr. Jean Antonio Buero, Minister for Foreign Affairs, formerly Minister of Industry.
- For Germany:
  - Mr. Hermann Müller, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Empire. Dr. Bell, Minister of the Empire.

The President, speaking in French, explains the purpose of the meeting in the following terms:—

“Agreement has been reached in regard to the conditions of the Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and the German Empire.

“The text has been drawn up; the President of the Conference has certified in writing to the identity of the text to be signed with that [Page 423] of the two hundred copies which were handed to the German Delegates.

“The signatures are about to be appended; they will signify an irrevocable undertaking to observe and carry out, loyally, faithfully, and integrally, all the conditions which have been laid down.

“I have therefore the honour to request the German Plenipotentiaries to be good enough to come and place their signatures on the Treaty which lies before me.”

The foregoing speech is translated into English and German.

The Plenipotentiaries of Germany, and after them the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied and Associated Powers, enumerated above; successively sign the Treaty of Peace, and the Protocol indicating precisely the conditions in which certain provisions of that Treaty are to be carried out.1

The Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America, of Belgium, of the British Empire, and of France, of the one part, and of Germany of the other part, sign the Agreement with regard to the military occupation of the territories of the Rhine.

The Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America, of the British Empire, of France, of Italy, and of Japan, of the one part, and of Poland, of the other part, sign a Treaty in regard to Poland.

The President records the fact that these signatures have been appended in the following terms:—

“The signatures have all been given.

“The signature of the conditions of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and the German Empire is an accomplished fact.”

The Agenda being disposed of, the Session is adjourned at 15.50 o’clock (3.50 p.m.)

The President,

G. Clemenceau.

The Secretary General,
P. Dutasta.

The Secretaries,
J. C. Grew,
Paul Gauthier,
M. P. A. Hankey,
G. de Martino,
Ashida.

The texts of the instruments to which reference is made in this and subsequent paragraphs do not accompany the present Protocol No. 2 (Versailles). They are printed in Malloy, Treaties, 1910–1923, vol. iii, as follows: Treaty of Peace, p. 3329; Protocol, p. 3522; Agreement With Regard to the Military Occupation of the Territories of the Rhine, p. 3524; Treaty in Regard to Poland, p. 3714.↩