[Enclosure—Translation62]
The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs
(Moltke)
to the American Chargé (Harriman)
Copenhagen, November 6,
1924.
Mr. Chargé d’affaires: By a note dated
November 5, 1923, you were good enough to submit to the Royal
Government an interpretation of the draft resolution in regard to
the prohibition of the importation of arms and munitions into China,
presented at the Washington Conference, and discussed at a meeting
of the Chiefs of Mission at Peking on October 3, 1922. At the same
time you informed my predecessor that your Government intended to
advise its Minister at Peking that it would be ready to adhere
formally to the resolution, as well as to the interpretation, on the
condition that there should be substantial unanimity on the subject
between the powers represented at Peking.
In making this communication you expressed the hope that the Danish
Government might find it possible to instruct its representative at
Peking in a similar sense.
By a note of September 10th last, Mr. Prince63
subsequently advised my Government that the United States Government
would appreciate being informed without delay as to the point of
view of the Royal Government with regard to this question.
After having had recourse to the competent authorities, I have the
honor to inform you as follows:
The Royal Government shares warmly the general desire to see normal
conditions reestablished in China. For that same reason it adhered
in due course without hesitation to the agreement of 1919, within
the limits permitted by legislation.
The Danish Government considers it of great importance that the
arrangement eventually adopted on the subject in question shall
obtain the approval of all the powers whose adherence would have
real importance for its efficacy.
The Royal Government has subjected the draft resolution discussed at
the Washington Conference to a thorough examination, and, as far as
it is concerned, would see with much pleasure a sufficiently general
support of the resolution in order to attain the object sought.
The interpretation of the draft discussed at the meeting of the
Chiefs of Mission at Peking on October 3, 1922, does not conform to
the Danish laws now in force. However, the reports of the
[Page 536]
King’s Minister at Peking
have given the Royal Government the impression that some doubt has
arisen as to the results of that meeting, inasmuch as there is some
uncertainty as to whether the interpretation in question can be
adopted to an extent necessary to insure its efficacy. The Ministry
for Foreign Affairs has again requested information from the Royal
Legation at Peking on that point.
The Royal Government would, however, be disposed—on the condition
that all the other powers interested adopt an analogous position—to
adhere, in conformity with the recommendation voted by the Chiefs of
Mission at Peking on February 9, 1923, to the resolution proposed at
the Washington Conference without interpretation, with the
reservation, however, that airplanes be excluded insofar as the
regulations in force governing the prohibition of exportation in
Denmark are concerned.
Please accept [etc.]
