Office of the Historian
  1. Home
  2. Historical Documents
  3. Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, Volume XI
  4. Document 166

Paris Peace Conf. 184.001101/4

Minutes of Meeting of the Steering Committee, July 9, 1919, at 2 p.m.

July 9, 1919, 2 p.m.
  • Present:
    • Dr. James Brown Scott
    • Prof. Johnson
    • Mr. J. F. Dulles
    • Mr. C. A. Herter

The following questions were considered:

1.
In what manner the final drafting of the treaties with Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria could be hastened. It was decided that the following recommendations on this point should be brought to the attention of the Commissioners:
(a)
That the Council of Five fix the date for the delivery to it by the Drafting Committee of the Treaty with Bulgaria. This matter should be placed immediately on the agenda of the Council and the necessary instructions given to the different committees and commissions.
(b)
That the attention of the Council of Five be called to the fact that certain of the principal Allied and Associated Powers have not yet designated delegates to sit on the committees (particularly the Reparations Committee) which are to prepare certain clauses of the Treaties with Bulgaria and Hungary, and that the absence of such delegates is preventing the prosecution of the work of the committees.
(c)
That in the event that the preparation of the frontiers of Hungary have not been confided to any committee, that steps be taken immediately to this end.
2.
The drafting of bi-lateral treaties between the United States and new States recognized by the different Treaties of Peace. This matter was brought up for consideration because of the fact that it was found that the British Government had already in the course of preparation certain bi-lateral treaties of a commercial and economic nature with the Polish government.
It was decided that the following recommendations should be made:
(a)
That Mr. Nielsen be requested to consider the propriety of concluding:
(1)
Diplomatic and consular,
(2)
Commercial and economic,
(3)
Nationality,
(4)
Extradition,
conventions with all of the new States recognized by the Conference, and to ascertain and report the steps taken by other delegations to this end.