711.5812/40
The Secretary of State to the Swedish Minister (Wallenberg)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of January 15, 1924, informing me that the Swedish Government is ready to conclude an Arbitration Convention with the United States, in principle similar to the convention concluded between the two Governments on May 2, 1908, and likewise to make a separate agreement, under which the disputes mentioned in the convention could be referred to the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague, in the event that the Senate of the United States gives its assent to the adhesion by the United States to the protocol of December 16, 1920, under which the Court was created.
I enclose for the consideration of your Government the English text of the draft of an Arbitration Convention10 similar to the Convention of 1908, providing for the reference of differences which may [Page 701] arise between the United States and Sweden to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Article 4 of the projet transmitted with your note of February 9, 1923, which provides that the Convention is concluded for an initial term of five years and that unless terminated at the end of that period on notice by either party it shall continue in force subject to termination on six months’ notice is adopted as Article IV of the enclosed draft.
I enclose also a draft of a note,11 which I would hand to you on the occasion of signing the proposed Convention, stating that it is my understanding that in the event the Senate of the United States gives its approval to adherence by the United States to the Protocol of December 16, 1920, under which the Permanent Court of International Justice was created at The Hague, the Swedish Government will not be averse to considering a modification of the Arbitration Convention or the making of a separate agreement under which the disputes mentioned in the Convention could be referred to the Permanent Court of International Justice.
If the proposals herein made are acceptable to your Government I should be pleased to receive any suggestions which it would care to make in regard to the draft of the Convention and likewise to receive the corresponding French text of the Convention and a copy of your Government’s proposed reply to my note concerning the subsequent modification of the Convention or the conclusion of a separate agreement.
Accept [etc.]