711.62119/19: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Commissioner at Berlin (Dresel)
1315. Your telegram no. 638, July 27, 5 p.m. It is my understanding that in substance Rosen means that each provision of the Versailles Treaty must be construed in the light of its context, that is to say, according to its true meaning. There is not the slightest objection to this view. I regard it as wholly undesirable that in the proposed treaty the specific rights, privileges, and advantages claimed by the United States be set forth, together with conditions, limitations, or rights in Germany’s favor. To do so would amount to an attempt to insert a commentary upon the Treaty of Versailles into the proposed treaty, and this is contrary to our intention. It [Page 11] is sufficient to refer by their appropriate designation to those portions of the Treaty of Versailles under which the United States intends to assert rights, and leave any questions which might arise to be determined in the case of the United States, as well as in the case of others, according to the true construction of that treaty. It is my belief that all that is needed at the present moment is a short agreement according to the United States the rights specified in the resolution of Congress with particular reference to those portions of the Versailles Treaty which, through the proposed treaty with the German Government, the United States is willing to accept.
It is not deemed advisable to publish any statement prior to the signing of the proposed treaty. Publication in advance would merely give rise to discussion which would not prove helpful, and this Government desires to reach the point as quickly as possible at which diplomatic relations with Germany can be resumed. There should be an immediate agreement upon the terms of the proposed treaty, and to this end the text is being sent you in a succeeding telegram,5 so that there may be no delay in presenting it to the Foreign Office. The necessary full power to sign on behalf of the United States will also be shortly telegraphed to you. That there may be no possibility of a mistake, you should check the portions of the Treaty of Versailles referred to in the first paragraph of article 2 of the proposed treaty with my telegram number 1234, July 5, and advise me immediately if any incongruity or what seems to be a mistake appears in any portion of the text. You should also compare the text of the resolution as it is quoted in the proposed treaty with the text on pages 3454–3455 of the Congressional Record for Friday, July 1, 1921.6 You will observe that sections 3 and 4, which relate exclusively to Austria-Hungary, are omitted. For additional protection, you will telegraph back the text of the proposed treaty as you receive it, except the quotation from the resolution. You will understand that there should be no publication of the text of the treaty or of the preceding correspondence until the treaty has been signed and you have received instructions in regard to the statement it is desired to publish. The treaty proposed has been drawn carefully to meet the exigency which exists, and the Foreign Office should view it in this light. As soon as the treaty is signed, it can be presented for ratification; upon its coming into force diplomatic relations can be resumed, and any negotiations that seem advisable can then be taken up.
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