711.5812/32
The Swedish Minister (Wallenberg) to the Secretary of State
Excellency: The treaty of arbitration concluded between the United States and Sweden on May 2, 1908,1 was, through a declaration signed June 28th, 1913,2 extended for a period of 5 years, beginning August 18th, 1913. However, no agreement for a further extension having been made, the treaty expired on August 18th, 1918. As Your Excellency will please to remember in this connection, a treaty looking to the promotion of general peace still exists between the two countries in so far as the treaty concluded between the United States and Sweden on October 13th, 1914,3 regarding the submission, for investigation and report to a permanent international commission, of disputes concerning which recourse can not be had to arbitration, still remains in force.
Considering the ever increasing tendency to settle, by way of arbitration, such international disputes which by their nature are adapted to such procedure, and which can not be settled through diplomatic negotiations, the Swedish Government would deem it desirable that a new treaty of arbitration be concluded between the two countries. Besides, the international procedure of investigation adopted by the treaty of October 13th, 1914, seems to assume, as a complement, a treaty of arbitration between the United States and Sweden.
In view of the foregoing, and acting upon instructions from my Government, I have the honor to ask if the United States Government would be willing to enter into negotiations looking to the conclusion of a treaty of arbitration between the United States and Sweden.
With renewed assurances [etc.]