711.559/9
The Acting Secretary of State to the Belgian Chargé (Tilmont)
Sir: I beg to refer to your conversation with Mr. William R. Castle, Jr., of this Department, on July 15, 1925, concerning the desire of your Government to conclude with the Government of the United States a convention for the prevention of smuggling of intoxicating liquors similar to the convention concluded between the United States and Great Britain on January 23, 1924.1 You stated that you were convinced your Government would find satisfactory a convention identic with that signed by the United States and France.2 You also stated that, if this Government is disposed to propose a convention which is identic with the convention signed by the United States and France, you would be grateful to receive at the same time a copy of the French text as signed by the two Governments.
I am pleased to enclose for the consideration of your Government a draft of a convention which this Government is disposed to conclude with your Government for the prevention of smuggling of intoxicating liquors3 and to enclose, also, a copy of the convention which was signed by the United States and France on June 30, 1924.
You will observe that, in preparing the draft of the convention which this Government is willing to conclude with your Government, the word “convention”, wherever it appears in Articles IV, V and VI, was substituted for the word “treaty”, appearing in the convention signed by the United States and France. The amendment is made so that the phraseology used in the Articles will conform to the phraseology in the Preamble. In the circumstances, it is hoped that the proposed draft is sufficiently identic to comply with the wishes of your Government in the matter.
Accept [etc.]
- Foreign Relations, 1924, vol. i, p. 157.↩
- Convention of June 30, 1924, ibid., p. 197.↩
- The draft convention enclosed with this despatch is identic with the treaty signed Dec. 9, 1925, infra.↩