870.811/16: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Wallace) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 2:07 p.m.]
715. Mission. Referring to my telegrams 400, February 7, 8 p.m.; 503, February 18, 9 p.m. and 673, March 10, 6 p.m.4
I have received from Monsieur Millerand a note dated March 9 of which the following is a translation:
“As president of the Peace Conference and in the name of the British, French, Italian, Belgian, Greek, Polish, Roumanian, Serb-Croat-Slovene and Czecho-Slovak Governments, I have the honor to beg Your Excellency to be good enough to transmit to your Government the following declaration:
‘With a view to expediting the execution of certain duties entrusted to an arbitrator or arbitrators to be nominated by the United States of America by paragraph 6 of annex 3 of part 8 and articles 339 and 357 of the Treaty of Versailles and by paragraph 5 of annex 3 of part 8 and article 300 of the Treaty of Saint Germain and by article 228 of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the British, French, Italian, Belgian, Greek, Polish, Roumanian, Serb-Croat-Slovene and Czecho-Slovak Governments have the honor to request that the Government of the United States should immediately nominate the arbitrator or arbitrators independently of the position of the United States as a signatory of the treaties of peace, it being understood that no part of the expenses of the execution of these provisions of the treaties will be borne by the Government of the United States.’
The present declaration was adopted on February 14th by the report from the British, French and Italian Governments to the Conference of Ambassadors. The representatives of the Belgian, Greek, Polish, and Czecho-Slovak Governments adhered thereto by the letters of which Your Excellency will find copies herewith enclosed. On the other hand you have been good enough to inform me that the Roumanian and Serb-Croat-Slovene Governments notified you directly their adhesion to the proposed action.
I venture to hope that the Government of the United States will experience no difficulty in responding to the wish of the Powers. Please accept, et cetera.”
- None printed.↩